Something They Never Thought They'd Find
by Helen Young
Summary: During a walker apocalypse there are few happy times and even fewer people to look to. However, Daryl and Carol seemed to have found themselves with both things. They look to each other for comfort, trust, and loyalty. Maybe even something a bit more than friendship could spark, however. Caryl/Darol Rating T for Dixon-tongue. Please enjoy and review. I accept all critique and ideas
1. A Cabin in the Woods

**_A/N: Just so you all know, this won't completely follow the plot line. Minor things will be changed, I hope you're okay with that. I'm always open to suggestions and ideas so if you have any I'd be happy to hear. Please review. Love. ~Helen_**

It was only a month or so since they'd left the farm, and they could all feel the cold starting to set in. They'd lived just on the edge of the trees in various areas, scavenging for foods when possible. However, today they'd find something else.

Daryl and Rick, accompanied by Carl set off for a hunt. Lori, of course, worried, but Rick knew Carl had to learn to hunt, track, and kill. They'd walked a good couple miles when they stumbled across a small log cabin. Figuring they'd look inside for supplies, they found something much different.

~X~

Carol looked up from the shirt she was stitching to see Daryl walking towards her. She stood and smiled.

"Hey." He said.

"What'd you find?" She asked, looking around him, hoping to see some supplies or food.

"Something better." He said, as if he could read her mind. He walked away, knowing she'd follow. They joined the rest of the group near Rick's tent where he told the group they were moving.

They collected all their things and put them in the cars and left. Rick led the way with Lori and Carl in the truck. Glenn drove the other car with Maggie, Beth, Hershel and T-Dog. That left Daryl to take Carol on the motorcycle. Not that either of them minded.

What they pulled up to was not what anyone was expecting. A small log cabin barely big enough for Rick's family.

"There ain't enough room in there!" T-Dog said, looking from Rick to Daryl, who both had smirks on their faces.

They wandered inside to a dirty, empty room that they had to squeeze tightly together to fit into.

"What is this shit?" Glenn asked. Rick smiled and made his way to the corner of the room and pulled up a latch on the floor, revealing a set of stairs leading underground.

"Everyone go have a look." Rick said pleasantly. Everyone rushed downstairs with the exception of Rick, Daryl, and Carol.

Rick looked between Daryl and Carol, then followed the others down. Daryl began to follow, but paused and looked at Carol, who was rooted to the spot, staring at the stairs.

"We've checked it." Daryl said. "No walkers." She nodded, but didn't move. He sighed, remembering she was slightly claustrophobic. He walked over to her and took her hand. "It ain't bad down there." He said. "We'll go down together." She looked him, took a deep breath and nodded. Her grip tightened as they descended the stairs. Once at the bottom, she gasped.

They'd entered into a large room, much bigger than the one above. There were shelves and shelves of canned food stacked to the ceiling. There sat a table with seven chairs around it. There were counters lined on the opposite wall, giving plenty of counter space. In an adjoining room, there was a small fireplace and three couches, one a bit larger than the others.

Carol, still holding Daryl's hand, followed the others down a narrow hallway where there were three bedrooms.

The first room was good sized, containing one big bed and a small couch. Rick claimed that room for his family. The second room had two smaller beds and a couch, which Hershel, Maggie, Glenn and Beth all agreed to share.

The final room was left to Daryl, T-Dog, and Carol. They all looked at the one bed and the couch. This was by far the smallest room.

"Um…" Carol began, glancing between the two men. "So, how're we gonna do this?" She asked. Daryl and T-Dog exchanged looks.

"There's a pull-out couch in the main room." T-Dog said quickly, looking at their still joint hands, which they quickly dropped. "I'll take that." He grabbed his bag and wandered out of the room. Daryl turned back to Carol and laughed to see her sprawled out on the bed, starring at the ceiling.

"Laugh all you want, Dixon." She said, closing her eyes. "You get the couch." He smirked.

"That's what you think." He replied. A knock at the door got Carol to sit up and Daryl to turn as Rick stepped in.

"Everyone settled?" He asked. Daryl nodded.

"Yeah. T's on the couch out there and me and Carol are in here." He explained. Rick looked at Carol on the bed and raised an eyebrow at Daryl. "For Christ's sake!" Daryl exclaimed as Carol began laughing.

"He's staying on the couch!" Carol explained, still giggling.

"I never agreed to that." He said and Carol smiled. "Don't give me that look." Daryl grumbled at Rick. Rick cleared his throat.

"Well, Lori, Beth, and Maggie have dinner ready." He said, then left the room. Daryl turned back to Carol.

"Ya heard the man." Daryl said. "Now get your ass off my bed and let's eat." She laughed again and stood, following him from the room.


	2. The First Night

_**A/: Thanks so much for all the reviews guys! I was up all night last night writing more chapters for this, so I decided not to wait so long for this. Enjoy. Love. ~Helen**_

They'd eaten their first relaxed dinner in over a month. They all talked and laughed. Even Daryl, who sat on top of one of the counters with Carol leaning on the one next to him. Rick, who sat at the head of the table, had made a quick walk around the perimeter before dinner had started, making them all feel more comfortable. They'd also brought in all their supplies and left the cars and motorcycle parked behind the cabin. All the food they'd brought was stacked on the shelves with the cans and anything they didn't need was discarded into a corner for the time being.

"Well, I'm sure as hell glad you found this place." Lori said, raising her bottle of water as if toasting. "Great job, Rick and Carl!" She took a drink of her water and everyone else followed suit, except Carol and Daryl. Daryl instead let out a small snort, which caused Carol to look at him as he looked down at his food.

"Great job, Daryl." Carol added with a small smile. He gave her a crooked little smile in return before she took her dish to the bucket on the counter. Since running water wasn't really an option, they'd taken to having a bucket of water around for cleaning purposes.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted." Hershel said, standing and handing his plate to Carol who happily accepted it and placed it in the bucket. "I'm off to bed. Thank you, ladies, for a great meal. And good job finding this place, boys." He gave Rick a little pat on the back before retreating to his room. Beth was the next to stand.

"Leave that, Beth." Carol said quickly as Beth made her way over to wash dishes.

"I can get it." Beth replied sweetly.

"I know. But you three made dinner. Let me clean up. It's the least I could do." Beth gave her a thankful smile before yawning and heading off to bed also. Lori and Carl left next, after bidding good night to Rick and thanking Carol for cleaning.

"Do you think we should stand watch?" Glenn said as Carl and Lori left. Rick nodded.

"I think that'd be best, considering we don't know the area." He replied.

"We don't need no watch." Daryl added. "Ain't no damn walkers gonna get down here."

"It's not just walkers we gotta watch out for anymore." T-Dog said.

"And what if a herd comes by?" Maggie said quickly. "I sure as hell would feel more comfortable if someone was on watch." Rick nodded.

"We'll take shifts." Rick said. "I'll take first watch. T-Dog come trade off with me in a few hours. Daryl will be after you and watch till morning." T-Dog nodded and wandered off to his couch which he'd already pulled out. Turns out it was a sizable bed. Glenn and Maggie stood, said good night and headed off to their room. Rick grabbed a gun and a knife and headed upstairs, leaving Carol and Daryl in the kitchen.

"Times like this, I wish Dale was still around. Andrea too." Daryl said. Carol looked away from her dishes to him. "They got their kicks from keepin watch. All they ever damn well did."

"Andrea was a big help." Carol defended.

"Yeah a big help when she shot me in the damn head." Daryl retorted. Carol sighed and turned back to her dishes. He should've kept his mouth shut. He knew Andrea was a touchy subject for Carol. Andrea always stood up for her, around Ed and whatnot. Even risked her life to save her from those walkers at the farm. Carol felt bad about that. She felt like she'd left her. Daryl looked at Carol now, glad that Andrea had been there.

"I'm gonna head to bed." Daryl said, jumping from the counter. Carol nodded but didn't say anything. He sighed and walked out of the room. His room -well, their room- seemed kind of quiet and uncomfortable. He'd been so used to the closeness of other people that being alone seemed sort of odd to him now. He groaned, knowing he couldn't fall asleep until Carol got there. So instead he rested his crossbow against the wall and collapsed on the bed, just so Carol would raise some hell about it when she showed up.

~X~

Carol finally finished up the dishes and put them away, then dried her hands on her pants. She sighed as she looked around the kitchen, checking that she'd gotten everything cleaned. She then set out all the cereal and breakfast foods she could find onto the counter, figuring it'd be easier for the group to find when they all awoke.

She peaked into what she supposed would be considered living room to see T-Dog completely out of it, snoring as loudly as possible. She smirked and silently thanked God for not making her sleep in the same room as him.

As she walked down the hall she peeked into the other two bedrooms. She wasn't being nosey, just concerned. She figured it was her motherly instincts taking over and she had to make sure each one of her group was safe. She saw Carl asleep next to his mother, and Lori was staring at the wall, too spaced out to notice Carol. In the other room, the door was only open enough to see Beth and Maggie asleep on one bed and Glenn sprawled out on the couch. She figured that Hershel had the one smaller bed to himself.

She opened the door to her own room to see Daryl asleep on the bed. She rolled her eyes. Of course he'd take the bed. Why would he not? He deserved it more than she did anyway. With a sigh she grabbed two thinner blankets and placed them over Daryl. He grunted a bit in his sleep and she let out a small laugh. Even in his sleep he had that stressed expression on his face. Not quite as bad as when he was awake, but it was still there. She smiled softly and grabbed a blanket for herself. She curled up in a ball on the couch to keep warm and laid for awhile, just watching Daryl.

She didn't know what it was about him that she was drawn to. He was attractive, yes. But that wasn't all that there was. He was easily frustrated, and short tempered. However at the same time, he was kind and gentle. At least towards her. Maybe it was because he was the only one who didn't look at her with that sympathy that everyone else did. Not just after Sophia, but all the time. The only one other than Daryl who didn't was T-Dog, but she rarely ever spoke with him.

She shrugged these thoughts off, content with what she had. She'd rather accept what she was given without question, than find a reason and lose what she had. So with that, she smiled softly at Daryl, then drifted off to sleep.


	3. A Dixon To Protect You

_**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews guys! They were awesome! Keep it up. :D love. ~Helen**_

Daryl heard a sound and his eyes flew open. He heard something shuffling in the dark room and he grabbed his crossbow. The candle that was lit by the bed he was on had almost burned out and it took him a second to even process where he was.

"Carol?" He whispered, remembering they shared a room. Suddenly he heard her burst into laughter somewhere in the room. He groaned in irritation and grabbed matches, relighting the candle and a few others next to it. He crawled to the edge of the bed to see Carol laying on the ground, her hands covering her face as she laughed.

"What the hell did you do?" He asked, barely repressing the laughter that was building up inside him. All she could do was point at the couch and laugh. He followed her finger to the pillow on the couch and the blanket half on the couch, half underneath her on the floor. He climbed off the bed and kneeled next to her on the floor, pulling her to a sitting position. She took a couple breaths to regain herself and leaned against Daryl.

"I'm sorry I woke you." She said, laughing a bit. He smiled and laughed a bit too. "I guess I'm not used to sleeping off the ground. I sort of just rolled off." With that they started laughing again. They took a minute to regain themselves before standing. She apologized again before retreating to her couch.

"Where ya goin?" He asked and she turned to look at him.

"To sleep?" She said questioningly.

"Yeah right. Go on the bed, I'll stay on the couch."

"Daryl, go to sleep." She said, curling back up on the couch. He sighed and walked over, sliding one arm under her legs and the other behind her back he lifted her. It was so quick that Carol didn't have time to react. She gasped and giggled, trying to fight her way out of his arms, only making things worse for herself. Daryl twisted her around so she was over his shoulder. She giggled madly just as the door opened. Daryl's smiled disappeared as he saw T-Dog's wide eyes staring at them. He quickly dropped Carol without thinking, luckily she sort of jumped at the same time and landed on the bed.

"Um… I can come back…" T-Dog said awkwardly.

"What do you want?" Daryl growled as Carol tried not laughing.

"It's your shift." T-Dog explained, still glancing back and forth between the two. Daryl nodded and T-Dog quickly left the room. Daryl walked over and grabbed his crossbow and began leaving, then turned.

"Sleep." He ordered, pointing a finger at her, then walked out.

"Who made you the boss?" Carol muttered. Daryl backtracked and gave her a raised eyebrow look. She smirked at him and he rolled his eyes and left. She smiled and relaxed back on the bed, quickly falling asleep.

~X~

Carol's eyes fluttered open to the dark room. Since the whole underground house had been lit by candles and oil lanterns it was almost always dark and her eyes had to adjust to the darkness. She saw Daryl laying on the couch, but only slightly. Most of his body dangled onto the floor, but he was so exhausted he didn't even wake. She smiled at him and grabbed a blanket to cover his body. She then proceeded to the kitchen area where Rick, Lori, and Hershel sat around the table.

"Good morning." She greeted them all with a smile. They replied tiredly, obviously none of them slept as well as she had.

"Maggie and Glenn went for a run. Carl and Beth are on watch." Rick said. "T's still asleep. Daryl too, I take it?" Carol nodded and proceeded to grab a box of cereal and dug her hand into the bag and eating the handful. "Me and Hershel are going for a walk in the nearby area, check things out." Carol nodded and they stood. Rick gave Lori a quick kiss good bye and they headed out. Lori and Carol then drifted into a comfortable silence as they ate.

"Sleep well?" Lori asked. Carol nodded and smiled.

"Even sleeping on the couch half the night was a blessing." Carol said, still smiling.

"Half the night?" Lori asked, raising an eyebrow. Carol laughed a bit.

"Not what you think. When Daryl went on watch I moved to the bed. He took the couch when he returned." She explained. "How'd you sleep?" Lori shrugged.

"Not so great." She said with a sigh. Carol's frowned and Lori laughed. "Not all of us had a Dixon sleeping next to us to protect us." Carol glared and Lori, who only smirked and walked upstairs to find Carl. Carol sighed and went back to eating. She paused and smiled. She supposed, once she'd thought about it, having a Dixon there to protect her at all hours of the night did help her sleep a bit better.


	4. Night Time Commotion

_**A/N: So, I didn't really wanna post two chapters in a day, but since it's Walking Dead night, how can I say no? So please enjoy. Love. ~Helen**_

Carol was outside, just sitting in the grass after she'd hung up the day's laundry. She sat with her back against the cabin, breathing in the air. It was warm out that day and she closed her eyes. It was quiet except for Glenn and Maggie's quiet chattering as they stood watch. Lori had taken Carl and Beth just inside the cabin, where they'd place a single table and a few chairs for purposes such as these. She'd been teaching them basic school things. Stuff they should know in case the world ever became normal again. Rick, T-Dog, Daryl and Hershel all went hunting. Rick and Hershel went one way and Daryl and T went another, hoping that someone would bring food. They'd only been at the cabin a week and Carol had already grown bored with just sitting around. But at least today the sun was out.

Suddenly her sun that she'd been so deprived of was cut off. She opened one of her eyes to see Daryl standing in front of her with a smirk on his face. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Can I help you?" She asked. He shrugged, but remained in one spot. She sighed and scooted over so she was in the sun again. He took this as an invitation and sat down next to her. "How was the hunt?" She asked.

"Fine. T almost got bit." He said. Her eyes flew open and she looked at him. "He's fine. Don't worry." He added quickly. She relaxed again, but kept her eyes on him. "We didn't really see the damn thing. Just jumped out of no where. I got it though." He patted his crossbow with a smile. She smiled. She should've known that if T-Dog was with Daryl he'd be alright.

"That sounds exciting." She said with a huff. He raised an eyebrow at her. "You know what I did today? I did laundry. And then I sat in the grass. And then some dumbass redneck blocked my sun." Daryl laughed. She did too.

"You don't want to be out there. It isn't as fun it sounds." He said. "Every time I go out I can't wait to get back to-" He paused. She gave him a quizzical look. "To the group. Ya know? To rest and eat." He said quickly. She knew that was a lie. He hardly ever ate or slept. And he was not really social at all. Just to her. Maybe he was going to say he couldn't wait to get back to her? She quickly pushed that thought out of her head. He wouldn't think that way.

~X~

That night as they all went off to sleep Daryl and Carol went through the every night routine of bed vs. couch. She insisted he have the bed and he said she should have it. It was a constant and endless battle. Eventually they came to the decision that, since he traded watch with the others at night, he would have the bed until watch and after watch he'd take the couch. He liked this arrangement better anyway because that meant Carol got the bed most of the time anyway so he technically won. On this night, however, Daryl did not have to do watch, so the battle continued.

"Okay!" Daryl finally said, throwing his hands in the air. "You take the bed tonight. I'll take the couch. Then next time I don't have watch I'll take the bed all night and you take the couch?" She thought for a moment, then nodded, accepting his decision. She went and laid on the bed and was asleep within minutes.

Daryl sat on the couch, wide awake and starred at Carol. After what felt like an hour he started to feel like a mega creep. How could he help it, though? She was peaceful when she slept. It made him feel relaxed. His thoughts were interrupted by Maggie yelling from upstairs.

"THERE'S A HERD COMING!" She cried. He opened the door and flew into the hallway, along with Hershel, T-Dog, Rick, Lori, and Carl.

"How many?" Rick called back.

"A hundred or so!" Glenn replied, pushing Maggie down the stairs before him.

"Glenn, come with me. T, I need you too. We'll stay up there and fight off any who make it in. Hershel take Beth and Maggie and lock the door. Lori, take Carl. Daryl you stay watch down here. If anything goes wrong, we'll clear the way and you get everyone out. No exceptions." With that, Rick took off up the stairs with T-Dog right behind him, followed by Glenn after a quick kiss from Maggie.

Lori and Hershel did as instructed and pushed their children inside and locked the doors. He turned back to his own room to find Carol still sound asleep. He walked over to the bed and touched her shoulder.

"Carol. Carol wake up." He said, softly. She groaned.

"Daryl if you want the damn bed, take it. Just leave me alone." She grumbled with a wave of her hand. She then fell back asleep. He sighed and sat down next to her. He figured if she could sleep through that commotion, she could sleep through the rest of the night. He sighed and closed his eyes, not planning on falling asleep.

~X~

When Carol opened her eyes, she felt more relaxed and comfortable than she'd ever had. She smiled and closed her eyes and snuggled further into the person next to her. Her eyes flew open. There was someone next to her. Something kept her from bolting upright in the bed and when she shifted her body she could tell what it was.

There was an arm draped across her waist, but it was not relaxed. It was tensed, holding her. Not forceful or demanding, but protecting and comforting. She placed her hand over the arm and followed it up to the shoulder. In the dark it was hard to see, but she could faintly see Daryl in the darkness. She could just barely see his eyes closed and the relaxed expression on his face. She smiled, letting herself believe she was the reason he was so relaxed.

She wasn't really tired anymore, but she couldn't even dream of leaving. So instead she scooted closer to him, her head resting under his chin. His grip on her waist relaxed a bit and she smiled even more. Closing her eyes she drifted off once more.


	5. Walkers In The Woods

When Carol opened her eyes again later, her lips formed a frown. She was laying in the middle of the bed, alone. Daryl had left her. He'd been there earlier, right? She racked her brain, trying to remember if she'd dreamt his presence or not. Surely he must've been there. She wouldn't have dreamt that feeling. She'd felt so safe, and warm. His presence had made her feel whole.

She sighed and pulled the warm covers from her frail body. Running a hand over her face, she stood, grabbing a long sleeve shirt and pulling it on. She relit a few of the candles on the table, making a mental note to stock up on more when they returned to town. She wandered towards the door, and paused, her hand on the doorknob. She heard raised voices from the main room. Hesitantly she stepped into the hall.

"I need to be able to count on you when we need you." Rick said. His voice struggled to stay calm, but instead it wavered. As Carol made her way to the room, she saw Rick and Daryl glaring intently at each other.

"Ain't nothin happened!" Daryl replied.

"Nothin this time!" Rick retorted. "Next time we may not be so lucky!"

"What's going on?" Carol asked. They all turned to look at her. Rick, Daryl, Lori, Glenn and Maggie all had their eyes on her at once and she felt suddenly uncomfortable. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the ground.

"Daryl fell asleep that's what happened." Lori said sternly.

"On watch?" Carol asked, obviously not getting it.

"No. Last night. We needed him to be on alert down here when the herd passed by." Glenn explained. Her eyes widened. A herd passed by? Why hadn't anyone woken her?

"Ain't no one got hurt. Ya didn't need me." Daryl said, turning back to Rick.

"Not this time. But we need to be able to count on you." Rick explained, more calmly now.

"We can't have you locked in your room cuddling with Carol all night." Lori said, sharply. Carol felt her cheeks get hot and Daryl's eyes narrowed at Lori.

"You're one to talk about cuddlin." He snapped back. "Sleepin around with every damn guy in camp!"

"Don't you dare-"

"Don't blame me for your problems." Daryl cut her off.

"This is all our problem!" Rick jumped in at the defense of his wife.

"No. That," Daryl pointed to Lori's stomach "Is not mine." With that he turned and stormed up the stairs.

"What's got his panties in a twist?" Maggie asked. It was the first she'd spoken since Carol had arrived and she'd almost forgot Maggie was there.

"Maybe if everyone would lay off a bit." Carol replied, going up the stairs after Daryl. She opened the door and threw her arm over her eyes to shield the sunlight. After a minute of blindness, she blinked and squinted across the grass to see Beth and Carl sitting in the grass, Hershel not far away. T-Dog stood watch and Carol walked up to him.

"Morning." She said.

"Daryl went into the trees over there." T-Dog said, pointing to a break in the trees.

"How'd you-"

"I'm not stupid. He came out fuming and you followed not far behind." He said. She couldn't help but smile a bit.

"Thanks." Carol said, then quickly walked off, feeling her face turning a shade of red. She followed the path in the trees that T-Dog had pointed to. Daryl couldn't have gotten far, but with his long strides, anything was possible. She walked for a while, and not see any sign of the Dixon she sighed and turned around. She began walking until she heard rustling of branches behind her.

She turned to see a walker making it's way to her. She gasped and took off back the way she'd came. She ran until she saw another walker almost directly in front of her. She turned to the left and ducked beneath a few branches. She turned again to see both walkers making their way too her. She took off again, running as fast as she could with them not far behind her. She jumped behind a tree, her back pressed against the bark and her heart pounding in her chest. She heard the footsteps of the walkers, slowed now since they'd lost sight of their prey. She sucked in a large gulp of air and held it, trying to remain as quiet as possible. As they stumbled their way past her, she began making her way around the tree. A snap beneath her feet made her gasp again and the walkers to turn.

"Shit!" She cried, taking off further into the trees. She ran until her foot hit something hard and she tumbled to the ground, her vision becoming blurry and finally going black.

~X~

Daryl had been awake already when Carol awoke the first time. Feeling her stir made him tense. She'd put her hand over his, probably trying to find out who the hell was sleeping next to her. He remained tense the entire time, until she snuggled in closer to him. He relaxed his grip, and even thought about saying something to her, but decided against that. She fell asleep again quickly anyway. He didn't even know if she'd remember that he'd been there once she woke up.

He'd laid there for quite a while before a knock on the door made his grumble. Before he could reply the door opened and Lori stepped in. Her eyes widened and her cheeks became as red as a cherry as she quickly stuttered out apologies. He sat up and growled at her to get out and she did, but not before apologizing again. He'd gotten up after that and made his way to the kitchen.

There her met Rick, Glenn, Maggie, a very embarrassed Lori, and T-Dog who was on his way to do watch. Apparently after the herd had passed by the night before, Rick had walked to Daryl and Carol's room to find them both fast asleep. He obviously was not too thrilled about that, since Daryl was suppose to be in charge. The argument had started there and it was only worse once Carol had showed up. When Lori had made her comment about him cuddling with Carol, he saw Carol's face turn bright red and it made him even more infuriated.

When he'd finally stormed out, he was met by a concerned T-Dog. Shrugging off his concern, he'd made his way into the tress, hoping to find something to kill. He found walkers, and killed them with rocks. Not bothering to waste his arrows on such an unworthy cause. He'd made his way pretty far, all the way back to the stream that Rick, Shane and him had searched for Sophia at. Sophia. He felt a pang in his chest just by looking at the water. He felt responsible for that kid, not that he knew why. He wasn't her daddy, nor was he even related. Hell, he didn't think he'd ever even said a word to the girl.

Well, that was a lie. He'd told her to shut up once. Got him in some pretty good trouble with Carol after that. He wanted nothing more than to find her though. He didn't know if it was for him, Sophia, or Carol that bringing her back meant so much. Sophia had her whole life ahead of her, but it was a hard life. A life filled with fear, death, torment, loss, and destruction. Something he'd been familiar with that no one else should've been. Maybe that's what the attachment was between him and Sophia. She'd been hurt by her daddy more often than not. He'd never physically seen Ed touch Sophia, but he knew he must've. He'd seen Ed hit Carol once or twice. The first time, he hadn't even met them yet. The second time, Merle had held him back, telling him not to get involved. That the bitch wasn't worth his time.

Merle didn't know shit. He didn't know Carol then. Didn't know how kind she was, how she saw the best in all of them. Even the Dixon brothers. She'd always been kind to them, even when Merle laughed at her. Daryl tried to think back, tried to remember if he'd ever said anything mean to Carol. He hoped not. He'd never admit it out loud, but he'd grown to like her. She was someone he could talk to that wouldn't judge him. She was kind of like his subconscious, someone who'd listen, give input, and support him, without any type of commitment. She never expected the same in return, though he'd give it to her anyway.

A scream interrupted his thoughts and he brought his mind back to the world. He was still standing by the water and he quick turned around. He grabbed his crossbow from his shoulder and sprinted towards the scream.

~X~

When Carol opened her eyes, her head felt like it had burst open. The sunlight glared down on her, even through the trees and she groaned as she tried to sit up. She blinked back the tears of pain that threatened to spilled as she looked around, trying to remember how she'd gotten there.

Just then a walker stumbled around the tree in front of her, its one leg broken and dragging behind it. She screamed, not thinking about the noise, just thinking about getting away. She stumbled trying to get up and began trying to crawl away. Her breath quickened as the walker neared and she grabbed the first thing she could find. A stick. She swung it in front of her, hitting the walker in the side and it fell to the ground. As it raised its body and she prepared to hit it again an arrow flew through the front of its skull, splattering blood on her pant leg. She turned to see Daryl behind her, his eyes wide as he starred at her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, coming over to her. She breath a huge sigh of relief and nodded. He offered his hand and helped her from the ground.

"Thanks." She said. He gave her a swift nod and looked around.

"What you doing out here?" He asked. "Don't you know there's walkers in the woods?"

"I came looking for you." She explained. "Wanted to make sure you were okay."

"M'fine." He said.

"I see that."

"We should go back." He began walking, expecting her to follow. She started to, but paused and pulled the arrow out of the dead walker. They were low on ammo as it was, Daryl needed all he could get. After wiping most of the blood off on the walker's shirt, she jogged to catch up with Daryl.


	6. Seperation

_**A/N: Hey guys! I'm glad that you're liking the story so far. Thanks for all the reviews and sorry if I haven't been able to reply to them all! I appreciate it anyhow! Enjoy this chapter and please review. :D**_

Daryl and Carol walked in silence back to camp. It was mid afternoon they supposed and they were both hungry. Carol had to walked a bit faster than usual to keep pace with Daryl's strides. Daryl in turn, slowed down to keep up with Carol's short strides. They'd both wandered further off than they'd realized, Carol even began to wonder if they were even walking in the wrong direction. When she voiced this theory out loud, however, Daryl had merely grumbled that he knew where he was going.

They'd walked a bit further when a walker stumbled out before them. It made snarling noises as it came towards them and Daryl readied his bow. Carol, however, was quicker, lodging the arrow that she was still holding into the walker's temple. It fell to the ground immediately and she frowned, pulling the arrow back out. She turned to look at Daryl, who was staring at her, one eyebrow raised.

"What?" She asked, wiping the blood of the arrow. He smirked.

"Here." He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a knife. He paused and looked at it, then held it out to her. She hesitated a moment, before taking it from him. She looked at it, then at him.

"Very nice." She commented, running her fingers lightly over the blade.

"It was my old man's." Daryl said. "Got it off him 'for me and Merle took off."

"Oh." Was all she could say. She held it back out to him and he shook his head.

"You keep it. You can do that with an arrow," He pointed to the walker on the ground. "You can have the knife." She smiled softly, then tucked the knife safely in her pocket. She didn't bother with a thanks, he'd only grumble it off. She handed him back the arrow, feeling much safer with the knife in her pocket. They began walking again, the silence not so unsettling anymore.

As they neared the camp, they heard yelling. With a quick glance at one another, they took off in through the trees. When they reached the cabin they saw a herd of walkers trying to get inside. Through one of the windows that was broken out they could see Rick stabbing walkers in the head with a knife.

"Cover me!" Daryl yelled, running forward. Carol followed closely behind, gripping her knife tightly in her hand. He took out walkers in the direct path as Carol stabbed at them from behind. They made their way to the door, throwing it open as Rick, T, and Glenn flew out.

"Get to the vehicles!" Glenn cried.

"What about the supplies?" Maggie asked.

"No time!" Rick said, taking out a nearby walker. They all poured out of the cabin and ran to the vehicles, Rick in the lead with Daryl in the back.

"Wait!" Carol cried, turning back.

"Carol!" Daryl called after her, shooting a walker near her with an arrow. He looked between Rick and Carol, who'd run back inside. "Go ahead! We'll catch up!" He yelled. Rick nodded and helped Carl into the truck. Daryl turned and ran inside to see Carol trying to move the large table in the room.

"Help me!" She yelled, seeing him just stand there. He moved quickly, grabbing the other end of the table. She guided it over to the corner, and motioned for him to flip it upside down. He obeyed and together they covered the opening to the stairs. He quickly understood. Walkers wouldn't be smart enough to move the table and open the door, so if they could make it back, they could get the food from below.

"We need to go." Daryl said, grabbing Carol's hand and pulling her to the door, only to have it blocked by 3 walkers piling in with more to follow. He quickly stopped and pulled Carol to the window that Rick occupied earlier. He quickly hopped out, then reached back in, putting one hand on either side of Carol's hips and helping her out the window next.

The others had drove off, leaving him, Carol, and his motorcycle. They ran to the bike, Daryl quickly grabbing the gun from the side bag. He handed it to Carol, who hesitated for a moment, looking between the gun and him. He nodded to her and climbed on the bike. She quickly followed, wrapping one arm around his waist while she shot and nearby walker. Daryl took off, leaving a trail of dust and a thousand walkers behind them.

~X~

They drove for quite awhile before Daryl finally pulled over. They had found the main road and had drove on that for a while. He turned the bike off and they both got off, stretching their muscles. Carol looked around. The sun had already began to go down, but it was still light enough out to see well. They hadn't found the others, nor did they have any clue as to where they could've been. For all Daryl and Carol knew, they'd gone in the complete opposite direction.

"Where do you think they went?" Carol asked.

"Don't know." Daryl shrugged. "But we can't run around in the dark. We need to find a place to hide out." She looked at him.

"How the hell are we going to do that?" She asked. "We have no shelter. There are walkers everywhere. We'll get over run." He shook his head.

"We'll find somewhere." He said confidently. He motioned for Carol to follow, grabbing the handles of the motorcycle and pushing into the trees. He left it right at the edge, removing the keys. He then grabbed the crossbow from his back and began walking further into the trees, Carol close behind.

They found a small clearing of trees, a place where they could rest. Carol was worried of being out in the open, but Daryl assured her it was safer. They couldn't be snuck up on easily. They were close enough to the main road, it was within running distance in case of a quick escape. Daryl made quick work of lighting a fire while Carol collected rocks to put around it. She wasn't sure where he learned it but she had no complaints. They sat down by the fire, and Daryl grabbed the bag from his motorcycle and pulled out a few energy bars. He handed one to her.

"Thanks." She said. He grunted a reply and opened one for himself. They were quiet for a bit, the sun setting quite quickly around them. "Do you think we'll find the others?" She asked quietly. He glanced sideways at her, then shrugged.

"Don't know." He replied. "Don't care to find some of 'em."

"You don't mean that."

"I do. Don't know how I put up with her this long." Carol knew he was talking about Lori.

"Well, she's pregnant." Carol defended. "Her hormones and emotion are all-"

"I don't give a damn." Daryl interrupted. "Didn't like her before, don't like her now, won't like her later." Carol couldn't help but smile a bit.

"She the only one who bothers you?" She asked curiously.

"Not a huge fan of Beth." He said. She frowned. "Not like she's annoying or anythin, just doesn't pull her weight."

"She's just a girl. She's suffered a lot."

"We've all suffered." Daryl said angrily. Most people would've shut up, or moved away from him when his voice raised. Most people didn't -nor had it ever- involved Carol.

"She lost her mom. Her boyfriend. Patricia and Otis. Almost her dad and sister."

"Yeah and you lost a daughter! You still at least try to help!" Daryl yelled this time, his dramatic change in attitude made her jump. He saw the pain in her eyes the second he said it. Her jaw hardened, but she didn't say anything, just looked at him. He sighed angrily and ran a hand through his hair.

"Daryl." He looked at her. Her voice was icy, chilling. He didn't like it. Her eyes, now moist with fresh tears were hard and cold, threatening him to yell at her again. He remained quiet. "We've all lost people. We grieve and we move on. Some of us take more time to heal than others. You should know that better than anyone." She got up then and walked a few feet away, leaning against a tree with her back to him. He let her go. He didn't know how to comfort her. So instead he looked away from her to the fire. This was going to be a long night.


	7. Learning To Fish

Daryl walked back to the fire and sat down next to the sleeping Carol. He felt slightly jealous of her ability to sleep at this time. Sure, he'd slept in the woods alone before. But that was before the world ended. He smirked. That seemed like an entire lifetime ago. It seemed like all he'd ever known was the apocalypse. Walkers and surviving.

He looked at Carol. They hadn't spoken since what he'd said. She'd went off to one side of the clearing, him to the other. Eventually she retreated back to the warmth of the fire and drifted off. She laid there, her arms crossed over herself, shivering in the cold. He sighed and pulled his jacket off, draping it over her. She stopped shivering almost immediately, making him laugh.

He didn't know what it was about this woman that made him feel so comfortable. She was kind, and caring. He at first thought she just needed someone to cling to after Sophia was gone, but that couldn't have been it. He'd tried pushing her away, all but screaming in her face to leave him alone. Carol was persistent. As if she could sense him thinking about her, she stirred. He looked at her, then laid down. She didn't fully wake up, just shifted slightly, pulled his coat further up towards her shoulders. He smiled softly and watched her as she drifted back to sleep.

~X~

Carol opened her eyes the following morning. Her first thought was she was hungry, cold, and tired. She shrugged all that off though when she realized she was cuddled up to Daryl. Her head was resting on his shoulder, his arm was wrapped around her, resting on her waist and her arm was draped across his middle. She could tell by his breathing that he was awake, but she was hesitant to move. She'd obviously cuddled up to him in her sleep, but this was unwanted physical contact on Daryl's part and she was unsure how he'd react.

"Bout time you woke up." He grumbled. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, raising her head. She saw his eyes were tired. It was obvious he didn't sleep at all. She looked at the fire, which was still burning rather strong, warming her legs. She looked back to Daryl. He laid on his back, one arm behind his head, the other still around her. She sat up reluctantly and stretched. He did too.

"How long you been up?" She asked, knowing fully well he didn't sleep a wink.

"Not long." He lied. She frowned, but brushed it off. Her stomach growled loudly and she quickly placed her hand over it.

"Here." He tossed her another energy bar.

"How many you got left?" She asked, opening the bar.

"That's the last." She paused. Then grabbed both sides of the bar and broke it in half, holding the one half out to him. He shook his head.

"You eat it. Ya need the food." He said.

"So do you." She argued. He shook his head again. She sighed. "Daryl Dixon. Eat the god damned food." He raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not eating it. If you don't it's going in the fire." She threatened, raising an arm over her head, ready to throw the bar. He sighed and reached out and grabbed it. She smiled triumphantly. He ignored her. They finished their food, put out their fire and moved on.

~X~

By mid afternoon they'd made their way to a small stream. Daryl insisted they hunt and fish for food, obviously not optimistic about rejoining the group. Carol didn't argue. At least she had him. Daryl waded into the water while Carol stood on the bank. Grabbing his crossbow from his back, Daryl shot into the water, impaling a fish. Carol clapped with excitement and Daryl smirked. He grabbed the arrow, pulling the fish off and threw it onto the bank next to Carol. He waded for a bit more and got another fish, earning another round of applause from Carol.

"We're gonna eat good tonight!" She said with a smile. He laughed a bit, throwing the fish to the bank. "Can I try?" Daryl paused and looked at Carol. She stood with her arms crossed, looking shy and slightly embarrassed that she'd even asked. He sighed and nodded. Her face lit up, reminding him of a child.

"You break it, you're done for." He said, pointing a finger at her as she made her way out to him. She laughed. He handed her the crossbow carefully. She shifted it in her hands, raising and lowering it, testing it's weight and size. Finally she raised it, aiming it. He watched her as she smiled and fired, hitting a rock. He smirked and she frowned.

"Dammit." She muttered.

"Did I mention that you're making me more arrows if you break all these?" He asked, making her punch his arm playfully. She raised the bow again, shooting, actually hitting a fish this time.

"Yes!" She cried, throwing her hands up, nearly dropping the crossbow. He quickly grabbed it from her, causing her to laugh. She reached down and grabbed the arrow, raising it out of the water with the fish. She glanced at the still alive fish, gasping for air. She couldn't bring herself to pull the fish from the arrow, so she tossed the fish, arrow and all towards the bank. Instead they landed in the water.

"No!" She laughed. As if the fish suddenly came to life it began to swim, the arrow still protruding from it's back. Carol quickly raced forward to grab the arrow, hitting her foot on a rock in the process and falling towards the water.

Daryl quickly pulled her out of the water, her clothes soaked through. She shivered uncontrollably as the bitter cold air met her. Daryl carried her out of the water and set her down on the bank, she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep warm.

"Take off your shirt." Daryl commanded.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"Just do it." He grumbled, shrugging off his jacket. She did as he commanded, taking off her long sleeve shirt and the tank top underneath, attempting to cover herself however she could. She looked at Daryl and her eyes grew wide. He'd taken his shirt and his jacket off and was now handing them to her. She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off.

"Put them on. It's freezing and you're soaked. You need to get warm before you get sick." She sighed, knowing he was right. She pulled the shirt over her head and slipped the jacked on. She looked at Daryl, who she realized was standing very uncomfortably next to her, his arms covering his bare chest.

"Thanks." She said, looking toward her feet.

"We should go back." Daryl said quickly. She knew he meant back to their small clearing and she nodded. He motioned for her to lead, and she obeyed, grabbing the two fish he'd caught off the ground, carrying them with her. She tried to walk normally, fully aware of a shirtless Daryl Dixon behind her. She tried to not turn around, but couldn't help it. Glancing over her shoulder, she could almost feel his discomfort. Her cheeks heated and she looked away. They continued walking in silence.


	8. Scars

Carol sat by the fire, warming herself and cooking the fish they'd caught. Daryl stood away from her, his back against a tree. He'd been careful, shuffling around her of letting her walk in front of him so she wouldn't see his scars. He didn't want her to see them. Merle had never even seen them. They were part of him that he never wanted exposed. He could show Carol everything about him, tell her the horrid stories, but seeing evidence was something different. It made him weak.

"Fish is done." Carol called over her shoulder. He wandered back to the fire and sat on the opposite side. She handed him his portion and they ate in silence. He glanced at Carol's clothes, which were hung on the branch of a tree. They weren't soaked anymore, but they weren't dry either. He looked at her in his shirt and jacket. Both were too big for her, but she adjusted. He knew she was cold and so was he, but he wasn't going to make her give the clothes back until she had her own.

"Do you think we'll find them?" Carol asked. He sighed, not wanting to have this conversation again.

"Don't know." He gave her the same response. She didn't say another word, just continued eating.

"I'll watch tonight." Carol said later. "You need sleep." He shook his head.

"I'm fine." She raised an eyebrow.

"You won't be unless you sleep." She said sternly. He opened his mouth to object, but closed it, seeing her look. He sighed and laid on his back, looking to the sky.

"Don't forget to keep the fire burnin." He commented gruffly. He didn't worry too much. He wasn't going to sleep anyway.

~X~

Carol could feel hot tears burning in her eye. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Daryl, in his sleep had rolled onto his side, exposing the horrific scars to her. It was quite clear as to why he hadn't turned his back on her all day.

Carol moved closer to him, making as little noise as possible. The fire sparked, illuminating the scarred flesh. She bit her lip and slowly reached out, longing to touch him. The second her fingers brushed his skin her was awake. He was upright, his hand gripping her wrist, his eyes on fire. He relaxed slightly when he realized it was her, but upon seeing her face and realizing she'd seen them, his eyes grew wide and angry again.


	9. How?

"What the hell are you doing?" Daryl growled, his grip tightening on her wrist.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, her voice cracking slightly. His grip tightened again and she winced. He quickly dropped her wrist and scooted away from her. She reached out and grabbed his wrist this time. His eyes flashed to her, then to the ground.

"Please, don't pull away." She whispered. He didn't say anything and neither did she. They both sat in silence, the only thing that could be heard was the cracking of the fire.

After a few minutes, Carol stood. Her eyes not leaving his. She shrugged the jacket from her shoulders, then pulled the shirt over her head. Daryl watched her skeptically, until he saw what she was showing him. On the right side of her stomach and curving around her side was a long scar. It was a pinkish color, standing out from her pale skin. Daryl sat, frozen, looking at the mark on her flesh. By the color he knew it wasn't very old. It had been recent, probably from Ed at the quarry. Daryl stood, taking a step closer to her. He reached out slowly, tracing one finger over the mark.

"How?" Was the only word he could muster, his mind still reeling.

"A knife." Carol said boldly. "After Andrea defended me. That night, even after Shane's beating." It was a simple explanation that told him every detail. Ed had been upset that others knew his business. Upset that someone actually friends with Carol and wanted to protect her. Carol pulled away and stepped around him, to his back. He tensed as she placed one finger over the scar. The one that ran almost perfectly straight down his back.

"How?" She asked. She stayed behind him, knowing it was easier for him to say it to the open air rather than to her face.

"Merle just got sent to rehab again." Daryl explained harshly. "My old man didn't like that so much. He had a hell of a swing with that belt in his hand." The last part he choked out. He'd never shown anyone the scars before, never told the stories. He closed his eyes, expecting her to pull her hand away, turn away from him, disgusted. Tell him he was weak. Instead his eyes flew open and his body grew rigid as she wrapped her arms around his middle, placing her hands over his stomach. She rested her face on his back, her cheek pressed against his shoulder blade. He relaxed after a moment, placing his hands over her own.

They stayed like that for a while until they heard footsteps coming towards them. They realized immediately that they weren't walkers but people. They quickly pulled apart. Daryl, realizing Carol was still shirtless threw his jacket at her. He put his own shirt on and grabbed his crossbow. He aimed in the direction of the footsteps just as a voice called out.

"Carol? Daryl?"

"Glenn!" Carol called back happily as Glenn, Rick, Maggie and Carl emerged from the trees.

"There you are!" Glenn said as Daryl lowered his crossbow.

"How'd you find us?" Daryl asked.

"We're camping up the river a bit. Carl and Beth spotted a little fish swimming with an arrow stuck in his back." Rick said with a smile. Daryl glanced sideways at Carol, who smirked.

"We just followed the river down till we saw the fire." Carl said triumphantly. Carol smiled at him.

"We best get back." Rick said. Carol walked over to one of the trees and grabbed her clothes. She turned to see Glenn's face, trying to figure out why she was only wearing Daryl jacket.

"Why is she-"

"She fell in the water." Daryl said gruffly. "Don't get any ideas." Carol laughed lightly. They put out their fire and grabbed their few items and walked to camp with Rick.


	10. New Arrivals

The next couple months or so went by slowly. They'd wandered from camp to camp, not staying in one place more than a few days. They'd went back to the underground cabin to find quite a few walkers lingering still. They'd gotten their supplies quickly and headed out. Upon returning to their makeshift campsite, they'd discovered mice had chewed hole in some of the food and in most of their tents. One of the tents was completely unusable. Carol sighed to find it was _her_ tent. Rick, Lori and Carl had the largest tent. Beth and Hershel had the first and Glenn and Maggie had the second of the average size tents. That left two smaller ones to T-Dog, Carol and Daryl.

"Why is it always us?" T-Dog groaned, looking at the two tents. Carol and Daryl exchanged looks, knowing they were thinking the exact same thing.

"Well I ain't squeezing into one of them things with you, T." Carol said, giving him a sympathetic look. She then grabbed her backpack and went into one of the tents. T-Dog sighed and looked at Daryl.

"Oh, hell no." Daryl said, grabbing his stuff and following Carol.

"Fine! More room for me!" T-Dog shouted after them. They laughed at him and settled into their tent.

That night they sat around the fire eating some fish that Daryl and Carl had caught. Lori, who had grown quite an impressive baby belly, ate some left over canned food. Meat still made her vomit. T-Dog was on watch and Rick was on edge. If he wasn't watching he didn't feel safe. Glenn and Maggie had grown remarkably close. They were nearly inseparable until Glenn had to go on a hunt or Maggie had to cook. More or less, they'd all separated their daily chores evenly. Daryl was in charge of hunting and fishing. Rick and T-Dog were on walker watch. Lori took on the duty of washing up clothes, since food made her sick. Glenn and Maggie kept track of supplies, running to nearby towns when they ran low. Beth and Hershel took care of the group medically. Not that everyday they needed a life saving procedure, but when they were needed they were ready. Carol was in charge of cooking a cleaning whenever she could. And Carl just helped out wherever possible. Mostly, he was learning from Daryl. All was going well, until one snowy night.

"Who the hell are they?" Daryl asked angrily. He, Carol and Carl had went hunting. Carol usually didn't go, but since there wasn't much to do, she tagged along. When they returned they were surprised to see some new comers to their group. There was an older man, two younger men, a younger woman, and a teenage girl.

"We found them in the woods." Rick said quietly. "They're lost."

"Ain't my damn problem." Daryl said harshly. Carol looked from Rick to Daryl nervously.

"We need to help these people."

"We don't know them!" Daryl said, getting closer to Rick. "We can't trust them!" Rick didn't back down.

"Hershel gave us a chance. Saved our lives." Rick said calmly. "It's time we return the favor. They're staying." With that, Daryl cursed loudly and stormed off to the tent. Carol followed him.

"Daryl-"

"I ain't gonna protect them." He said. She didn't say anything. He was sitting, wiping the dirt off his crossbow. "If it comes down to it, they ain't my problem." They left the conversation at that and carried on with their lives.

They'd all taken to the newcomers quickly. Even Daryl relaxed a bit. The older man's name was Lloyd. He was a retired farmer when the outbreak occurred. The two girls, and the youngest of the men were his children. The oldest daughter, Malory, was married to the other man, Austin. Brent was the younger boy, and he'd taken quite a liking to Beth. He was great with Carl though, kind of like a brother connection. Beth however became instant friends with Sharona, the youngest girl. The whole family had been staying on Lloyd's farm when the outbreak happened. Austin and Malory's 5 year old son, Sam, was turned into a walker at that farm. It was then that they decided to leave. Carol immediately sympathized with Malory. She was cautious around Austin, however. Part of him made her nervous.

"Daryl?" Carol asked. They were laying in their tent, long after anyone else had gone off to bed. They were huddled together, her head resting on his arm, his body pressed against her back with his other arm around her waist. They swore up and down that it was only to keep warm, but they both knew better. She longed for the closeness and he longed to protect her.

"What?" He asked, his voice tired.

"Do you trust them?" There was a pause.

"Some." He replied. "The old guy keeps watchin me like I'm crazy. Not sure how I feel about Brent lookin at Beth. And Malory's husband sets me off."

"Austin has a strange way about him." She agreed.

"Just keep away from him." Daryl said. She nodded and snuggled into him further, feeling far more safe with him there.

_**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this chapter didn't have a whole lot to it. Just wanted a little intro to the new group. Any thoughts? Another chapter to come soon. Remember to review! Love. ~Helen**_


	11. Another Year Closer To Dying

_**A/N: So, since it's Walking Dead night you guys get an extra chapter! Excited? Please enjoy and review! Love. ~Helen**_

The winter was coming to the end now, which they were all glad for. They'd found a really small town, one with only a gas station and a grocery store. There were a few houses in the town, but the group chose two houses side by side, farther off the main road. Both of the houses were small, so the group divided up. The first of the houses had four rooms. Rick and Lori took one of the large rooms. The other large room with three beds was shared by T-Dog, Hershel, and Lloyd. The two smaller rooms were occupied by Beth and Sharona in one, and Brent and Carl in the other. The second of the houses had only three rooms. The two largest upstairs were taken by Glenn and Maggie in one, while Malory and Austin took the other. Leaving Daryl and Carol to the downstairs bedroom.

"It's kinda nice that we could split up a bit." Carol said while her and Daryl dropped off their things in their room.

"Of course we got stuck with all the fucking couples." Daryl grumbled. Before she could reply he'd left the room.

~X~

Daryl took Carl hunting, anxious to get out of the house. Carl was becoming quite the walker killer, but his hunting skills needed work.

"What do you think of Beth?" Carl asked as they walked. Daryl gave him a sideways glance. He knew the boy was having a tough time. His dad was so busy being the leader and his mom sort of pawned him off onto others. Daryl knew Carl looked at them all as a family. His mom and dad, with the younger adults as brothers and sisters, or maybe cousins. Him, Carol, and T-Dog sort of were like aunts and uncles. It made sense that if Rick wasn't around, Carl would go to the next male adult he felt most comfortable with.

"She's alright." Daryl replied awkwardly. "Don't talk to her much."

"She's pretty too." Carl stated. Daryl shrugged.

"S'pose so."

"Do ya think she likes me?" Daryl stopped walking and looked at Carl. He could see that the question had taken a lot of courage on the kid's part.

"I think she's a little old for ya." Daryl said. He didn't want to hurt the boy's feelings, but didn't want to get his hopes up either.

"She's only four years older." Carl said, obviously hurt by Daryl's comment.

"Four years makes a difference." Daryl said, then continued to walk. He knew partner choices were limited, but he didn't want Carl's feelings hurt. Why was everyone so damned dependant on relationships anyway?

"How come it doesn't count for you?" Carl asked, catching up with him.

"What you mean?" Daryl asked, not looking at the boy next to him.

"For you and Carol." Daryl stopped again and looked at Carl, eyes narrowed.

"What the hell you talkin about boy?" He snapped. Carl looked taken aback at first, then replied.

"Carol's older than you." He said. "How come that's okay?"

"How the hell do you know how old Carol is?" Daryl asked. _He_ didn't even know how old Carol was.

"Sophia told me." Carl explained. Daryl's jaw hardened at the mention of Sophia, but he let it go as Carl continued talking. "Carol's 40. At least she was when we were at the CDC." Daryl blinked. He didn't know when Carol's birthday was. For as long as they'd been friends, and for as much as they shared, he'd never thought to ask when her birthday was. He knew his was coming up soon, in the spring.

"Daryl?" Carl's voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked down at the boy.

"What?"

"I asked why is it okay for you to date Carol if she's older than you?" Daryl's eyes widened.

"I ain't datin Carol!" He snapped. "Where the hell did ya hear that?"

"Well, you guys share a room like Glenn and Maggie. And like my mom and dad. And Malory and Austin."

"Don't make no difference." Daryl said angrily. "You best keep them thoughts to yourself." With that he walked on and continued the hunt.

~X~

"Carol?" Daryl asked. They were the only two left in the living room of the house. Glenn and Maggie had just excused themselves and headed to bed, shortly followed by Austin and Malory.

"Hmm?" She replied. He was sitting in a chair in the corner with her perched in the arm rest. After the others had left, there'd been plenty of open chairs, but she stayed where she was.

"When is your birthday?" It was a simple question that earned him an odd look.

"A couple months ago. Why?" She asked. His head reeled, trying to remember what month it was.

"November?" He asked, taking a guess at the dates.

"December." She corrected. "December 3rd." He thought for a moment.

"It's February?" He asked. She nodded. His birthday was closer than he thought. March 5th would be there soon.

"Why'd you ask?" Carol had a soft smile on her face. He looked away, calculating dates in his head again. She turned 41 in December. He turns 38 in March. That meant she was four years older than him.

"No reason." He answered.

"There's always a reason." She said with a small laugh.

"Why didn't you say it was your birthday?" He asked, changing the topic slightly.

"Didn't matter." She shrugged. "Just another year closer to dying." He narrowed his eyes at her. She'd always been optimistic about things. Especially relatively normal things, so this confused him. He reached out and wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her to him. She was caught off guard, but quickly recovered, settling onto his lap.

"What happened?" He asked. He didn't need to say more, she understood.

"Ed used to be extra angry on my birthday." She said, looking at her hands in her lap. "Told me that just because it was my birthday it didn't mean I was any less worthless." Daryl's arm around her waist tensed. She smiled sadly and took his hand in hers. She knew she was pushing her luck when she entwined her fingers in his and rested against him. Much to her surprise, he left her. Even pulled her closer to him and held her until she was fast asleep.

_**A/N: So, as far as I know, Daryl and Carol's ages and/or birth dates are not mentioned. So I went with this because in real life Melissa McBride is 4 years older than Norman Reedus. But if anyone happens to know the characters' real birth dates/ages I'd appreciate the information. Love. ~Helen**_


	12. I'll Never Give Up On You

_**A/N: Just wanted to say a quick thanks to GuiltyBystanders! You've been a huge help! Thanks so much! Love. ~Helen**_

A knocking at the door woke Carol up. She groaned and opened her eyes to see Glenn standing in the doorway. He looked rather uncomfortable with the scene before him. A shirtless, sleeping Daryl held Carol close to his chest. Their legs along with the sheets had become tangled together, creating quite the interesting reaction from Glenn.

"Uh…" Glenn shifted awkwardly. "Daryl's turn to watch." Carol sighed and sat up, quickly covering Daryl's torso and scars from Glenn.

"I'll go." Carol murmured, pulling on a jacket and grabbing a hand gun.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Glenn asked, following her from the room.

"I'll be fine." She said, then turned to him. "But you won't be if Daryl catches you sneaking into our room when he's asleep." She felt her cheeks get hot when she realized she'd said _their_ room. She laughed at herself. Of course it was_ their _room. _T__heir_ room,_ their_ bed. She smiled a little at the thought and headed outside.

They'd set up two guard stations. One in front of the two houses and one in the back. Carol, this time, was in the back. It was still dark out, the air was cold, but tolerable. She sat on top of the platform they'd set up, staring out into the trees. She thought back to the conversation she'd had with Malory earlier that day. They'd been doing laundry when she'd asked about Daryl. Malory had been under the impression that Daryl and Carol were a couple. Apparently Carl, Brent, Beth and Sharona didn't have much else to talk about. Carol had quickly cleared it up that they weren't a couple. However, when Malory asked what they were, Carol couldn't answer.

In reality, she didn't know where she stood with Daryl. He was her friend, but was more than that. He was one of the only reason she was able to get over the death of Sophia. He'd been with her through her weakest and strongest moments. He was with her when she'd smashed Ed's face in when he'd been bitten. He was there when she lost Sophia, both times. He was there every night when she woke up with nightmares, and he'd hold her. He never asked for anything in return, he even declined her help on occasion. When she thought about it, she didn't even know how'd they'd become what they were. The first time she'd ever talked to him, she'd managed to wander upon Daryl and Merle's argument in the woods. Merle didn't see her, and after he'd stormed off, Daryl saw her. He yelled at her to get lost and if she told anyone what she'd heard she'd regret it. She laughed at that memory. She wasn't afraid of him then. Not like she was afraid of the others in the group at first. She'd always seen something different in Daryl. Something that was better than Merle. She supposed, when it came to her and Daryl, there wouldn't ever be a definite answer. There'd always be a grey between their black and white. And she was okay with that.

"You shouldn't be out here alone." A familiar voice grumbled behind her. She felt a smile spread over her face as she turned to see Daryl walking towards her, carrying a blanket.

"I'm alright." She said as he climbed onto the platform. "I can watch if you want to sleep."

"Can't sleep any more." He lied. She knew he lied. He draped the blanket around her shoulders and she happily accepted it, pulling her knees to her chest so her legs were covered also.

"How'd you sleep?" She asked as he sat down next to her. He shrugged.

"Fine. You?"

"Fine." She replied simply. They sat in silence for awhile as the sun crept slowly over the top of the trees. "He wasn't always abusive." Carol said randomly. Daryl looked at her.

"Ed?" He asked. She nodded.

"I was just thinking about him. And you." He tensed slightly and she looked at him. "How you're different. How I know you'd never become him."

"What do you mean?" He asked. She looked away from him and took a deep breath.

"When I first met Ed Peletier, he was the sweetest man I'd ever known." She began. "He was kind to me. Gave me things all the time. Always complimented me. Made me feel special. I married him and I couldn't have been happier. My family and him got along amazingly. And then I got pregnant. We were the happiest couple you'd ever know." She laughed a little and shook her head. "Then one night I woke up and I knew something was wrong. I just knew. Ed rushed me to the hospital. I lost the baby." She paused and looked at him, her eyes blinking back tears. "Ed was crushed. We both were. We wanted a baby more than anything. We waited about a year before trying for one again. And just when we were about to give up hope, I became pregnant with Sophia. But the second Ed found out I was pregnant, he became scared. He thought I was going to lose the baby again, he couldn't bare that loss. He went out and got drunk. He came home angrier than I'd ever seen him. He told me it was my fault that the baby was lost. Told me I was a horrible mother and that it'd be better if Sophia died too so she wouldn't have a mother like me." Tears poured down Carol's face, but she kept talking. "That was the first night he'd ever hurt me. He hit me hard enough to leave a pretty damn good bruise. He apologized the next day, though. I forgave him. And everything was okay until Sophia was born. The second night we'd had her home, she wouldn't stop crying. Ed didn't like that. He hit me again. I guess since he'd done it once, another couple times didn't matter. It never stopped after that. After he realized he had that control over me, he used it. He stopped being a husband and became an owner. I stopped talking to my family and friends so he'd stop hitting me. I didn't have the money to leave with Sophia. And by the time I did, I was stuck. I had no one because they'd all given up on me. I'd given up on me."

She looked at him then. Her face soaked in tears with more to come. Her lower lip trembled slightly and she looked like a broken woman. Daryl had never felt himself hurt so much before. He reached out instinctively and grabbed her, pulling her to him and holding her.

"Carol." He whispered in her ear. "I will never give up on you." She pulled away slightly and looked at him. He smiled to her and she smiled back. And then, without warning, she kissed him.

_**A/N: A Kiss! Exciting? Maybe? Please review! Love. ~Helen**_


	13. Run To Town

The kiss was quick, but enough to set their blood on fire. Much to Carol's surprise, Daryl didn't push her away. In fact, he kissed her back. When she reluctantly pulled away from him, the shock on his face mirrored her own. Neither of them could believe what just happened, and neither one of them spoke. They sat how they were, looking at each other for what seemed like an eternity.

"Hey guys!" Someone called. Before Carol could react, Daryl was on his feet, facing whoever had called for them.

"Jesus Christ!" Daryl yelled. "What the hell do you want now? Can't we have a minute of peace! It's the end of the world for fuck's sake and still no one will leave ya alone!" Daryl's hands were balled into fists at his sides and Carol couldn't help but let out a light giggle. She turned to see T-Dog, wide-eyed, obviously not anticipating Daryl's outburst.

"Rick wants you…" T-Dog said cautiously. "Both you of." Daryl and Carol glanced at each other quickly.

"Why?" Carol asked, standing up next to Daryl. T-Dog relaxed a bit, feeling like if Carol was there, Daryl would keep his emotions in check.

"Said he needs you guys to do a run."

"Glenn and Maggie do runs." Carol commented, confused.

"Don't ask me." T-Dog shrugged. Daryl and Carol left to find Rick while T-Dog took watch.

~X~

Carol's lips were still tingling rapidly as she sat in the back seat of the suburban. Austin and Malory wanted to take a run to town for supplies. Rick didn't like the idea of them going alone, and Glenn and Austin didn't get along well. So Daryl and Carol rode with to town.

Carol stole a glance at Daryl in the front passenger seat, his arms crossed over his chest. She knew he didn't like riding in cars, especially if he didn't get to drive. However, since it was Austin's run to begin with, he drove. Malory and Carol rode in the back. Malory talked on and on about something. Carol didn't really pay attention, just nodded appropriately. Carol's mind was still on that morning. She couldn't believe she'd kissed him. More importantly she couldn't believe he kissed her back.

_He's regretting it now. _Carol thought to herself. _He has to be._

_~X~_

Daryl had always been a lone wolf. He didn't have many friends, and the ones he did have didn't really count. He had Merle, but they were quite a few years apart. He didn't like many people. His parents were lucky he hadn't killed them himself. He didn't really care for Merle either, just figured he'd owed something to his brother. He'd never had a girlfriend. Hardly talked to women. He never really cared for anyone until he met Carol. Even before he'd spoken to her, he'd wanted to protect her from Ed. He thought it was for Sophia. He'd always had a soft spot for kids, even thought he'd never show it. He figured he wanted to save Carol from Ed for Sophia's sake. No little girl should have to see her mom hurt by her dad. Over time though, he realized it'd been Carol all along. It had always been Carol. It was always Carol in the background, quietly observing. Carol, who looked out for him, even at the quarry when she owed him nothing.

He glanced over his should at her. She was looking out the window, a large smile on her face. Probably from something Malory had said. He thought back to that morning. She'd kissed him. One kiss that sent his entire world spinning. He didn't know what brought the kiss on, but it didn't really matter. He sighed. She probably regretted it anyway.

His thoughts were interrupted as Austin pulled into the parking lot of the grocery store. He climbed from the suburban and snuck a glance at Carol, only to find her already looking at him. He quickly looked away.

"Carol and I are going to the gas station." Malory said. Daryl looked at Carol who nodded in agreement.

"Oh, hell no." Daryl growled. "You're crazy if you think I'm letting ya go alone."

"I'm not alone." Carol replied, knowing the statement was directed at her. "I'll have Mal."

"Don't matter."

"They'll be fine." Austin said.

"It's just across the street." Malory added. Carol gave Daryl a soft smile and a reassuring nod.

"Fine!" Daryl groaned. "You got your knife?" Carol nodded. "Good. Use it. I hear any gun shots I'll come running."

"We'll be fine." Carol said, smiling again. She walked past him, brushing against him lightly as her and Malory walked to the gas station.

~X~

Carol followed close behind Malory, who carried her weapon of choice, a butcher knife. The gas station had been pretty picked through by this point, but Carol scavenged around as Malory searched for a 'personal item.'

"Carol?" Malory appeared from behind some shelves. "I'm going to use the restroom." She was holding something behind her back.

"What are you holding?" Carol asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing." Malory lied.

"Mal, I-"

"It's fine, Carol. It's nothing important." Malory couldn't look her in the eye as she made her way to the restroom. Carol quickly moved, snatching the item from her hand. She looked at the item, then to Malory, who looked frightened.

"You're pregnant?" Carol gasped.

"I don't know!" Malory gasped. Her eyes began tearing up. "I hope not. I can't bring any kids into this hell! Not after Sam…" Carol reached out and pulled her now sobbing friend into a hug.

"It'll be okay." Carol whispered softly. She pulled away, still holding onto the other woman's shoulders. "Listen to me. You need to calm down. Right now. This may not even be the situation. You need to calm down." Malory took a few deep breaths and nodded. Giving Carol a sad smile, she walked to the bathroom.

Carol wandered around, gathering whatever supplies she could find. She made her way to the back of the gas station and found the emergency exit. She wondered if anyone had looked in the back of the store. She knew it was gated in from what she'd seen from outside, but she didn't know if anyone had searched for supplies. She pushed the door open.

As soon as he door was opened, she saw four walkers in the gated area. Unfortunately, they all saw her too. One of them flew towards her and she gasped, stumbling backwards and tripping. She hit the ground hard, letting out a small cry of pain.

"Carol?" Malory called from the bathroom. Carol didn't reply as two of the walkers made their way into the gas station. She quickly stood, stabbing her knife into the temple of the first walker. The other two walkers piled into the building and she turned and ran.

"Malory!" Carol cried as she ran to the front of the store.

"What?" Malory burst opened the bathroom door just as one walker came around the corner. Carol's warning didn't come out in time as the walker sunk its teeth into Malory's arm, tearing her flesh and muscle apart. The world slowed down for Carol as Malory's scream rang in her ears. Carol flew forward, jamming her knife into the walkers skull.

Malory fell to the ground, holding her onto her arm. Carol attempted to pull her knife from the walker's brain with no luck. Seeing the other two walkers coming towards them, she let go of the knife and grabbed Malory's uninjured arm and pulled her back into the bathroom. She slammed the door closed and leaned against in, Malory sitting next to her.

"Carol!" Malory gasped, tears pouring down her face. "Please don't let me die like this!" Carol looked a her friend and felt her eyes well up with tears.

"Mal, I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." Carol wanted to say more, but couldn't find the words.

"Carol, please." She begged. "Don't let Austin see me like this. Don't make him do it again." Carol looked away, realized what her friend was asking her to do.

"Mal-"

"Please Carol!" The woman cried. Carol sunk to the floor, placing her hands on either side of Malory's face and wiping away the tears. They both cried heavily, Malory clutching Carol's arm. Carol gripped her gun in her opposite hand, and squeezed her eyes shut. Tears poured down both their faces as Carol placed the gun at Malory's temple.


	14. Another Loss

Daryl did not like the idea of Carol and Malory going to the gas station alone. He'd wanted to go, but knew Carol wouldn't have liked that. She needed to do things on her own, she didn't need him trailing behind her like a guard dog. So, he stayed with Austin. He'd watched and made sure the girls made it inside safely. Then he stood at the front of the grocery store, counting the minutes as Austin gathered supplies. And then, a gunshot. He bolted from the grocery store as fast as he could, calling Carol's name. He raced across the street and flew into the gas station to see two walkers pressed against the bathroom door. He killed them both quickly as Austin rushed through the front door too. They ran to the bathroom door and heard loud sobs from inside. Only one of them was alive. Daryl froze.

"Malory?" Austin called, banging on the door. Daryl couldn't bring himself to call her name. If she didn't respond, if she was the one who was gone… He couldn't bring himself to face it. Austin continued to call out for his wife until finally Daryl drew in a deep breath and called out.

"Carol?" His voice was shaky, but he didn't care. He held his breath, waiting for a response that seemed to take a thousand years. And finally….

"Daryl?" He'd never been so happy to hear her voice as she slowly opened the door and stood before him. Dirty, bloody, and sobbing, but alive. He wanted to run to her, pull her into his arms, but he was rooted to the spot, expecting her to disappear at any second. Instead of running to him, though, she looked at Austin and said she was sorry. Austin crumbled and fell, screaming as he hit the floor. It was then that Daryl moved, pulling Carol into an embrace that she happily accepted. Austin drug himself to Malory's body. He pulled her into his arms and cried and all Daryl could do was hold Carol as she sobbed into his shirt.

"What have you done?!" Austin cried, his emotions entering rage mode.

"She was bit." Carol said in between sobs. She turned to face Austin.

"You killed her!" Austin yelled, standing up. "You did this!"

"I-"

"You killed her!" He stepped to Carol so he was screaming at her face. "You killed her, you bitch!" With that he slapped Carol across the face. Daryl was on him in seconds, pinning him against the wall and punching him as hard as he could. He didn't stop until he felt Carol's hand on his shoulder.

~X~

Rick stood watch as Lori walked up to him. Her baby belly had grown quite large now, and Rick couldn't help but feel slightly angered when he looked at it. He hated that Lori hadn't told him at first. He hated that he'd never know if the baby was his or Shane's. No matter what Lori said, the baby could be either.

"Rick, you need to rest." Lori said. He didn't look at her.

"It's my turn to watch." He replied dryly.

"You know that's not what I mean." He looked at her. She gave him that look she always gave when she knew that he knew that she was right. "You can't keep leading this yourself. You'll wear yourself out. Let Daryl help."

"Daryl ain't a leader." Rick said. "He's strong. And he's independent. But he's not level headed."

"Then what about Hershel? Or Glenn. Hell even Maggie could help." Lori snapped.

"This group needs me. It's my responsibility."

"Your son needs you." Lori's words cut him like a knife. "This baby needs you. Rick, I need you." Their conversation ended when the black suburban came up the driveway. Rick knew something was wrong as Carol climbed from the front passenger seat and she couldn't look at them. Rick and Lori rushed over as Daryl climbed from the driver's seat.

"Carol what happened?" Lori asked, seeing Carol's cheek. There was a small cut on her cheek bone with a yellow-ish bruise forming around it. "What the hell did you do?" Lori rounded on Daryl.

"Lori!" Carol grabbed the other woman's arm before she could charge at Daryl. "It wasn't him." They both turned as Austin climbed from the back seat, pulling out Malory's body covered in a bloody sheet. His face was bruised and swollen too, far worse than Carol's. Rick quickly went to help with Malory's body.

"Him?" Lori snapped, ready to confront Austin, not caring what shape he was in, or what Daryl had probably already done to him after he touched Carol.

"Don't!" Carol begged, still clutching Lori's arm. Lori looked at her friend. She knew Carol wasn't who she used to be. She wouldn't take the abuse willingly anymore. If she didn't do anything, and didn't want Lori to, then Lori would leave it be.

"Common." Lori said gently. "Let's clean you up."

"No." Daryl growled. "I'll take care of her." Lori looked from Daryl to Carol. She wasn't surprise that Daryl acted like this. The emotional state Carol seemed to be in was fragile. It made perfect sense that Daryl wanted to be the only one near her. Carol gave Lori a nod and a small smile before walking off with Daryl.

~X~

A funeral was held for Malory and she was buried in the space between the two houses. Everyone's mood seemed sad and angry, but not as bad as Daryl, Carol, and Austin's. No specific story was given about that day. And no explanation about the bruises on Carol and Austin's faces. Though they all had a pretty good idea.


	15. Carol Dixon

Almost a week had passed since the run to town. Carol had become her sarcastic, pain in the ass self again. She avoided Austin at all costs, mostly for Daryl's comfort. Austin acted badly that day, but he lost his wife. Carol understood that. Daryl, not so much. Daryl had reacted almost as bad to something that hardly mattered. It's not like she'd never been hit before.

Everyone slowly filtered back into their everyday lives. Beth and Carl looked after Brent and Sharona, helping them through the loss of their sister. Hershel spoke with Lloyd. Everything seemed fine. Even Daryl and Carol healed from their emotional spin. Neither of them talked about the kiss, not like either of them wanted to. Daryl probably was cursing himself for not pushing her away and she was probably hating herself for having done it. So they went back to being what they'd always been. Each others strength and each others weakness. Giving each other everything without expecting anything in return.

~X~

Carol was walking around the house, looking for something to do. Daryl, Rick and Austin went on a run, after a heated debate on the topic. Maggie hadn't been feeling the greatest and Hershel had said she probably had the flu. They all had a good laugh about that. The flu seemed like such a common thing in the crazy, messed up world they lived in. So, with Glenn taking care of a sick Maggie, Rick wanted Daryl to run with him. Carol and Carl both volunteered to go, but Lori wouldn't hear of her son running off, and Daryl sure as hell wasn't letting Carol go. He'd nearly lost her last time. When it was finally settled that Daryl and Rick would go, Daryl began another argument. He was not going anywhere and leaving Austin near Carol. So Austin went along.

So that left Carol at the house, completely bored. She'd done all the laundry, cooked lunch, and did any cleaning she could possibly do. She found herself walking down the driveway towards the main road.

"Carol." She turned to see Hershel making his way towards her. "Where ya headed?"

"Just felt like taking a walk." She said simply.

"Mind if I join?' He asked. She gave him a warm smile.

"Hershel, I would be honored." Carol said and they began walking. "How's Maggie?"

"She's better." Hershel replied. "Another day or two she'll be healthy as a horse. And how are you?" The question caught her off guard and she wasn't sure how to respond at first.

"I'm alright." She said finally. "Why do you ask?"

"You seem a bit shaken since Malory died."

"I had to kill her." Carol confessed, looking at Hershel. He didn't comment, so she continued. "She begged me too. Didn't want Austin to have to. I didn't have a choice." Carol blink back some tears and continued. "I never had to do that before. I've killed a lot of walkers, but never someone alive." She paused. "That's not entirely true. After Ed was attacked…" She trailed off, knowing Hershel would understand.

"I don't know what your group went through before you reached my farm." Hershel said calmly. "I can only imagine how tough it was. You all lost some people. But I think you've gained more loyal relationships too." Carol knew he was talking about Daryl. Carol opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by the rustling of trees. Carol drew her gun and aimed at the source of the noise. She expected a walker, but was surprised when a man came from the trees. Carol didn't lower her gun.

"Whoa! Hey!" The man said with a smile, raising his hands in surrender. Carol lowered her gun, but didn't put it away. She glanced at the road they'd come on. They'd walked far enough that the houses were out of sight. Carol could easily sprint back, but Hershel wouldn't have made it. So Carol stayed put.

"What are you two doin out here?" The man asked, taking a step closer.

"Could ask you the same." Hershel said next to her.

"Me and my buddies were hunting for food. Got separated." The man explained. "My name's Tony."

"I'm Hershel. This is Carol." Carol wasn't sure where Hershel's trust in this man came from. She didn't trust him the second she laid eyes on him.

"Carol." Tony repeated, looking at her. "You looked real familiar, Carol. Do I know you?"

"No." Carol said sternly. In fact, now that he mentioned it, he looked a tad familiar to her too.

"What's your last name, Carol?" Tony asked.

"Dixon." Carol lied. She didn't like, nor trust this man.

"Carol Dixon." He repeated. "Don't know no Dixons, do we, Cyrus?" Before Carol could question anything a voice spoke from behind her.

"None I know of." Carol spun around to see a gun pointed at her by another man.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you." Tony said as she raised her gun and Hershel reached for his. Now both men had their guns pointed at Hershel and Carol, who both looked at each other wide-eyed. "You best drop that gun, Carol Dixon. You're comin with us."

~X~

Carol walked next to Hershel. Tony walked in front of them while Cyrus and another man who'd joined them followed behind. They'd taken Hershel's gun and Carol's gun and knife, leaving them defenseless. Carol looked at the ground as she walked. She pressed her feet heavily into the dirt, leaving distinct shoe patterns.

Soon enough they came upon a small area near a stream. There were five tents set up in a large circle with a fire burning between them. There were two other men and a woman there, who all came to greet them. The woman who was also very familiar to Carol, came over and gave Tony a kiss, then glanced at Hershel and Carol.

"Who are they?" One of the other men asked.

"This is Hershel and Carol." Tony said. "Me, Cy and Red found 'em walking on the main road."

"Alone?" The woman asked, hands on her hips.

"Yeah." The one named Red replied.

"John, Amanda, take these two to my tent. I'll come talk to them later." Tony said. Amanda and the larger of the two men led Hershel and Carol from the group. Carol looked at the woman. Amanda looked so familiar to her.

"What's your name again?" Amanda asked Carol, casually.

"Carol Dixon." She replied icily.

"You looked really familiar to me, Carol Dixon." Amanda commented.

"That's what your boyfriend said too." Carol replied.

"Tony? He ain't my boyfriend really." Amanda said. "After my bastard husband died… Tony was my husband's good friend." Carol nodded in understanding and looked at Hershel, who'd been remarkably quiet throughout the entire ordeal. The reached the tent. It was the largest of the five. Amanda went in first, followed by Carol, Hershel and the man. Carol couldn't keep the names straight. Between five names there was only three she bothered to remember.

"My husband was an asshole too." Carol confessed as Amanda binded her hands. She glanced up at her, but didn't reply so Carol continued. "Use to beat me. My little girl too."

"You have a little girl?" Amanda asked, alarmed.

"Used to. Then the walkers got her." Much to her own surprise, Carol's voice didn't crack. She didn't cry. She kept her emotions level.

"Walkers?" The man chuckled. "That what you call 'em?" He'd just finished tying Hershel's hands and was waiting for Amanda. She quickly finished and they exited the tent. Hershel waited until their footsteps faded before turning to Carol.

"Carol Dixon, eh?" He laughed lightly. Carol felt herself blush intensely.

"It was all I could think of spur of the moment." Carol defended quickly. She looked around the tent. It was pretty bare. An air mattress was in one corner with a pile of blankets and sheets. Clothes were spread randomly around and the only other things in the tent were meager medical supplies and small food rations.

"I think I know the three men." Carol said, looking at Hershel. "The three that found us. Tony, Cyrus and Red. Amanda too."

"Well, who are they?" Hershel asked curiously.

"I think their Ed's friends."


	16. Stronger

Hershel was stunned for a moment. He didn't know much about Carol's late husband. Only that he'd hit her and her little girl pretty good. Carol seemed like a smart enough woman and a great mother, so he didn't understand why she let him do that to her. Hershel had a suspicion that she'd said her name was Dixon, because she could no longer identify to Carol Peletier. Carol Peletier was a different person in a different life. The Carol she'd become was someone stronger and more independent. She no longer had ties to her former self. The Peletiers were dead and gone.

"Can you be sure?" Hershel finally asked. Carol nodded.

"That's how they know me. They'd come over to the house to pick up Ed and bring him back so drunk he couldn't stand. Amanda was with them sometimes. She was the only wife that didn't have kids to care for." Carol's eyes seemed distant and unfocused as she recalled the days before the apocalypse. Hershel remained silent and let Carol focus on herself and the thoughts and confusions going through her head.

~X~

They stayed in the tent for quite awhile, no one bothering to check on them. They didn't try to escape, knowing six people against a woman and an elderly man was a suicide mission. Darkness had fallen over them by the time Amanda returned with Red. Amanda said nothing as she led Carol out of the tent.

"What about Hershel?" Carol asked nervously.

"Tony wants to talk to you separately." Amanda said, not looking at her. They walked a bit before Amanda stopped and turned Carol towards her. "We went back for you." She said suddenly. Carol confused look made her continue. "Jack and I. You know him and Ed were close. You were already gone when we got to your house. We found Tony and the others and we left. Ton and Jack kept going back lookin' for you. Never found you."

"We were outside Atlanta." Carol said quietly. "There was a large group. We lost a lot of people since then."

"Don't tell Tony." Amanda cut in. "They haven't recognized you just yet. Tony thinks you have a larger group nearby. He'll sneak up on them and kill them. He's done it before." Carol bit her lip and thought about her group. Daryl was there, but her was Daryl. He'd be okay. However, Lori was there. Same with Carl, Beth, Sharona and Brent. They were only kids.

"Let us go." Carol said suddenly. "At least Hershel. Amanda, please. We have kids there. Lori's pregnant. Give them a chance to get out of here."

"You're asking too much." Amanda said.

"Amanda-"

"I can't."

"Jack was a son of a bitch. They all were. Jack, Ed, Cyrus, Tony, Red, every one of them." Carol pleaded with the woman in front of her. "They all abused their woman. They hurt me and you and our friends. We can move past that. You don't need to stay her. Come with us. Me and Hershel."

"You don't know what you're asking."

"Carol!" Tony called as he and Cyrus approached, interrupting their conversation. "How are you?" He asked.

"I've been better." She replied simply.

"I suppose your group misses you by now." Tony said. Carol glanced at Amanda quickly before responding.

"What group?" She asked.

"The group you and the old guy are part of." Cyrus cut in. Carol smirked.

"We're aren't part of a group anymore. They're all dead." She glanced at Amanda, who looked worriedly between Carol and the men. She wasn't afraid of the people she once knew. She'd promised herself that she was stronger since Ed died. That she could protect herself and stand up for herself. This was her chance to prove it.

"Your whole group?" Tony asked.

"And Ed." Carol heard Amanda gasp beside her.

"Ed?"

"Tony!" Cyrus gasped. "Ed Peletier! This is his old bitch." Tony stood frozen for a minute. Carol looked at Amanda who was wide eyed. Carol gave her a sof smiled and looked back to the men.

"Ed's dead?" Tony finally asked.

"Walkers got him." She explained. "He was going to turn. So I killed him."

"You killed him?" Cyrus growled. "I liked you a hell of a lot better when you knew your place." Tony stopped him as he tried to take a step forward.

"Where's your girl?" Carol turned as Red came walking towards them with Hershel. She remembered that Red was always more calm than the others. Mostly he stood in the back as everyone else caused trouble.

"Dead." Carol said harshly.

"You kill her too?" Cyrus asked.

"Carol-" Hershel's voice said her name sternly. It was almost a warning, with a hint of comfort hidden in the layers.

"Stay out of this, old man!" Cyrus yelled.

"Calm down, Cy." Tony said.

"Tony. Can we just move on with this." Amanda piped up. They all looked at her and she immediately looked down. She reminded Carol of herself, before everything happened. Amanda cowered under the men's gaze as Carol stood strong. Where Amanda was weak, Carol had become stronger.

"Keep your mouth shut, bitch." Cyrus snapped at Amanda, who immediately recoiled. Carol watched the scene wide eyed.

"Cy, chill." Red said, still calm.

"You shut your mouth, man!" Cyrus yelled back. Tony still stared blankly at Carol, as if trying to understand her. "Where the hell is your group?" Cyrus regained the topic of the group, catching Carol off guard slightly.

"Gone." Carol said. She wasn't speaking much, but somehow that irritated Cyrus more and he drew a gun, pointing it in Carol's face.

"You better fucking tell me where they are!" He yelled.

"Carol just tell them!" Hershel yelled suddenly. Carol squeezed her eyes shut, as the gun lowered and they all looked at her friend.

"Where are they?" Tony asked, apparently trying to regain control of the conversation.

"Hershel, don't." Carol warned. As soon as the words left her lips, Cyrus's hand collided with her face, sending her flying towards the ground. A lot of yelling began as Carol tried to catch herself. Then the entire group went silent as a gunshot rang out and Cyrus's body fell next to her.


	17. Rescue Mission

_**A/N: So here's your second chapter for today since its Walking Dead day! :D**_

Daryl sat in the front seat of the suburban with his feet up on the dash. Rick didn't like it much but didn't complain. Austin rode in the backseat as Rick drove them to town. Daryl wasn't happy about having Austin with them, but he sure as hell wasn't going to leave him with Carol and the group. He mentally kicked himself. He always singled Carol out from the group. He hated that he did, but he couldn't help it.

"I'm gonna head to the gas station." Rick said. "Make sure Carol and-" He stopped and glanced at Austin.

"Her name ain't cursed." Austin said angrily. "Ain't no shame in sayin it." Rick nodded.

"Make sure Carol and Malory got everything."

"You're gonna leave me with him?" Daryl said, not bothering to hide his distaste for the man in the backseat.

"I ain't anymore thrilled about it than you." Austin replied. "You're the one who wanted me to come."

"Cause I don't trust you back there." Daryl didn't bother looking at Austin, just knew he rolled his eyes.

"I ain't gonna hurt your woman. Already apologized to her."

"She ain't my-" Daryl paused. "What do you mean you apologized?" He sat up and glared at the man in the backseat.

"Don't get your panties in a twist. I just told her-"

"You were suppose to stay away from her!" Daryl growled, nearly jumping into the backseat after him. Rick grabbed Daryl's arm and pulled him back up front, in return causing the car to swerve on the road.

"Everyone just calm down!" Rick yelled. "Austin I suggest you shut your mouth. Or I might just let Daryl kill ya." Austin mumbled something under his breath before settling back into his seat. When they arrived in the town, all three men stepped out. Rick walked to the back of the car and opened the hatch. Inside were three shotguns, which Rick gave to each one of them.

"Only use the gun if you need it." Rick reminded them. Austin nodded and stalked off to the grocery store, not wishing to linger around Rick and Daryl any longer. "Can I trust you to keep a level head and not kill him?" Rick asked.

"He'll be alive when you get back." Daryl grumbled in reply. "I ain't promising I won't kick his ass if he says something."

"Just make sure he's conscious." With that Rick turned and walked to the gas station. Daryl followed after Austin. They'd picked through what little was left of the grocery store the last time. Daryl didn't suspect they'd find too much.

~X~

When Rick reached the gas station, he was immediately introduced to the stench of the rotting walker corpses. There were three bodies by the bathroom door and one further back by the exit door. Walking around Rick realized it was nearly hopeless. There was nothing left at the gas station and probably not the grocery store either. He sighed. Looks like they were back to scavenging around in houses. He left the gas station to see Daryl and Austin already by the car.

"Didn't find much." Daryl said once Rick got closer. "Couple first aid kits. Random boxes and cans of food that had fallen and were under the shelves. Not much else."

"Can we go back to camp now?" Austin said.

"Not yet. There's a couple houses in the area. We'll search those first." Rick said. Daryl nodded and Austin looked annoyed.

"I'm gonna walk." Daryl said. "I'll meet you there." Rick nodded and motioned for Austin to get in the car.

"Why does he get to walk?" Austin argued.

"You wanna walk?" Rick asked. "Be my guest. Take out some of the walkers around here. I'm sure Daryl will cover your ass." With a quick glance at Daryl, Austin changed his mind and climbed into the car.

"Why does he hate me?" Austin said, his tough exterior gone in Daryl's absence. "I reacted bad. I get that. I apologized. Carol forgave me."

"He's a bit tougher to get through to." Rick explained. "He just worries about the group. Wants to make sure their safe."

"Especially Carol. I thought they were a couple." Rick laughed a little.

"I think everyone but them can tell they are." Austin gave him a confused look. "Carol used to have this husband, Ed. He used to beat her pretty good. Her and her daughter, Sophia. When Ed finally died, I think she realized she was stronger than she thought. She wasn't afraid of really anyone, even Daryl. So when Daryl lost his brother Merle, Carol was the only one he didn't scream at when they got close. When she lost Sophia, Daryl was the only one who could get through to her."

"Complicated people you got around here." Austin said and Rick laughed.

"Very complicated."

~X~

It was almost dark out when the three men had filled car with supplies. They still had some houses left in the neighborhood but decided to leave those for another day. The all piled back into the car, Austin a bit more squished in the back due to the supplies. They drove in a nearly awkward silence. Daryl, with one foot up on the dash twirled an arrow between his fingers. When they pulled into the driveway the group ran towards them, looking worried.

"Probably wonderin where we've been." Rick said. He put the car in park and climbed out. "We're alright. Don't worry." He called to everyone. Daryl and Austin climbed out next. Daryl expected to see Carol waiting for him, like she usually was. Waiting to take his crossbow from him and help carry things to their room. But she wasn't there. With a frown of confusion, he looked to the group questioningly. As if to answer his unspoken question, Glenn spoke.

"Hershel and Carol are gone." The words made Daryl's stomach twist in the most uncomfortable way and he stepped up to the Asian man.

"What do you mean, gone?" He growled. Glenn didn't hesitate to reply, know if he didn't the hunter would begin yelling.

"Lori saw them leaving earlier." Daryl looked at Lori with a glare that made her flinch slightly.

"I think they went for a walk." She said. "They were on the main road. But when they didn't come back, Brent and Glenn went looking for them."

"We couldn't find 'em anywhere." Brent piped up. "Didn't think it was safe to go wanderin through the woods so close to dark."

"How long have they been gone?" Rick asked.

"A couple hours." Lori said.

"And you thought it was safe for them to go alone?" Daryl yelled at her.

"Let's just calm down." Rick said, quickly jumping between Lori and Daryl. Daryl gave Lori a quick glare before turning and walking down the driveway.

"Where are you going?" Austin called after him.

"To get Carol." He yelled back. "And Hershel." He added quickly.

"You can't go tonight. It's dark. You can't track in the dark." Rick yelled.

"Watch me!" Daryl growled. He was at the end of the driveway now.

"Then let us help!" Glenn yelled. Daryl paused and turned. "I'll come help you."

"Me too." Rick and Glenn ran over to him. Austin followed shortly behind followed by Beth. They all looked at the youngest Greene girl skeptically.

"It's my daddy." She said confidently. "Maggie's sick. I need to do this."

"Ya ever even killed a walker before?" Austin asked. Beth shook her head.

"But I can shoot. Shane taught us at the farm." Beth said. "I have Maggie's gun."

"You sure you can do this?" Rick asked. Beth nodded.

"Well let go then!" Daryl said impatiently. "We're wasting time!" With that Daryl, Rick, Glenn, Austin and Beth set off to search for Carol and Hershel.


	18. Tracking

The group of five set off immediately. Rick had insisted that they wait a bit and form a plan, but Daryl wouldn't hear of it. Carol and Hershel had already been gone a few hours. Anything could've happened. They could've gotten lost, or separated. Ran into a herd of walkers or worse. Daryl didn't want to think about it. He only hoped Carol was safe.

Once again realizing he singled out Carol again, he mentally cursed himself. He knew Merle would be laughing at him if he could hear his little brother's thoughts. Daryl paused at that. Did it matter what Merle thought? Merle wasn't even there. He was probably dead. Carol was with him and alive. Or at least she was that morning. He quickly shook the negative thoughts from his head. Carol would be back with him soon.

"Look." Rick said, walking a few steps ahead of Daryl and the others. Daryl looked at the ground to see what Rick was talking about. Fresh shoe prints were leading up to the road from the trees, and even more prints leading back down.

"Thought you weren't a tracker." Daryl commented.

"Just lucky I guess." Rick replied as Daryl knelt next to the footprints.

"One pair leadin up." He told the others. "Four, maybe five headed back down to the trees. Hard to tell, they're all right on top of each other." He squinted at a particular imprint. All the shoes were worn, and left very few significant markings, but these ones were different. These ones were meant to be left behind. Left by someone who wanted him to find her. Carol.

"These are Carol's." He said gruffly. He couldn't help the small smile that crept upon his face. Nor could he help but feel a bit of pride for the woman, knowing he'd use the prints to find her.

"The others, are they walkers?" Glenn asked. Daryl shook his head.

"Nah. They're straight forward prints. Ain't crooked or angled enough to be a walker. Come on." He followed Carol's solid footprints into the trees.

"They wouldn't just follow someone into the woods alone." Beth offered up.

"At least not willingly." Glenn added. The knot in Daryl's chest tightened as he thought of them being taken captive.

"They'll be okay." Rick said, mostly to Beth, but Daryl took comfort in it too.

They walked a bit further until Daryl noticed something and stopped. The others stopped with him. He knelt to the ground and squinted, looking into the break of trees in front of him. A slight ember glow illuminated in front of them and Daryl recognized it as a fire. He motioned towards it and Rick nodded in understanding. Careful not to make noise, Daryl crept forward. Rick and Glenn followed his lead with Austin and Beth close behind. They fanned out once they got closer.

They weren't too far from the camp when Daryl saw two figures, standing together just outside the camp. They were two men, Daryl could tell as he heard them talking softly. Just as Daryl moved to attack, a loud crack behind him made him freeze. He whipped around to see Austin's stunned face starring back at him, then he glanced to the branch under his foot. Unfortunately, the two men heard it too, and began making their way towards them.

"Shit!" Daryl whispered fiercely. He spun on the spot and grabbed the front of Austin's shirt, breaking into a run. When they reached the others, they were both out of breath.

"What happened?" Glenn asked.

"Dumbass over here tried to get us killed!" Daryl growled, turning on Austin. "What the hell was that?"

"It was an accident!" Austin said quickly. "I didn't see the branch there!"

"Why don't you pay more attention?" Daryl took a step closer to Austin, who in turn stepped back. "Why the hell are you even here?"

"I wanted to help save Carol!" Austin defended, hoping to extinguish Daryl's fire.

"Carol ain't your concern!" Daryl barked. Austin took another step back, hitting a tree.

"That's enough!" Rick said, pulling Daryl away from the cowering man. "You're worried about Carol, I get that. Let's not lose our heads. Austin's here to help." Just then, they all drew their weapons as the two men from the camp emerged from the trees. The two men, with their guns drawn quickly realized they were outnumbered and raised their hands in surrender,

"Drop your weapons." Rick warned. Glancing at each other, they quickly obeyed, placing their weapons on the ground. Glenn quickly stepped forward to collect them.

"What the hell you people want?" The first man asked.

"Your people have our people." Rick said.

"You talkin about the lady and the old guy?" The second guy asked.

"Where the hell are they?" Daryl growled.

"Tony's keepin em real safe. Don't you worry." The first man said with a smirk. "And Cyrus seemed to be real interested in that woman of yours." Rick quickly grabbed Daryl as he lunged at the man in front of him.

"Daryl, don't!" Glenn yelled, helping Rick pull Daryl back.

"Bit protective, ain't we?" The man added. "Don't worry. I'm sure Cy won't hurt her too bad."

"I'm gonna kill you!" Daryl yelled, trying to fight his way through Rick, Glenn and now Austin. The only thing keeping the men from killing them all was Beth, who looked surprisingly comfortable pointing the gun at the two men.

"Dude, shut the hell up!" The second man whispered fiercely to his friend.

"You best take your friend's advice." Rick warned, handing Daryl over to Glenn and Austin. "Cause if he don't kill ya, I will."

"Let me go." Daryl said, finally pushing Austin and Glenn away. He pointed his crossbow at the first man's face. "You best tell me what I wanna know."

"Or what?" The man smirked. "You'll kill me? You ain't gonna kill me, you good for nothin pussy. Your woman's as good as dead so you-" His words were cut short as Daryl's arrow went through his eye and into his brain. The man fell to the ground as his friend began to vomit. Daryl wasted no time in pulling the second man up off the ground.

"If you don't wanna end up like your friend there, I suggest you cooperate." Daryl growled, his words holding more venom than ever before.

~X~

Daryl crept closer to the camp with Beth behind him. He left Austin with Rick as they came from the other direction. They'd learned from the man, who was being watched by Glenn, that there were only four other people at the camp. As they neared the camp, Daryl could hear a man yelling and Daryl's pace quickened. When he reached the outside of the camp, he gripped the gun he'd gotten from the man he'd killed in his hand. He signaled for Beth to stay close to him and he peered out from behind a bush.

Carol stood in front of two men and a woman. Her hands were clenched in fists at her sides, but she didn't look angry or scared. She looked strong. Daryl felt pride slowly building inside him as he watched her. It took him a minute to realize Hershel had shown up with another man. Daryl quietly observed the scene before him.

"Stay out of this, old man!" One of the men yelled. He seemed to be upset about something, but Daryl couldn't tell what. They're voices were barely audible unless they were yelling. "Keep your mouth shut, bitch!" The man yelled again as the woman next to Carol cringed. They said a few more things before the angry man pulled a gun, his target being Carol's face. Daryl sprang into action, raising his own gun. Ready to fire until something Hershel said made them both lower their guns.

"Hershel, don't." Carol warned. As soon as the words left her lips, Cyrus's hand collided with her face, sending her flying towards the ground. A lot of yelling began as Carol tried to catch herself. Then the entire group went silent as a gunshot rang out and Cyrus's body fell next to her.


	19. Saving Carol

Daryl blinked, confused at where the gunshot came from. It took him a moment to realize it'd come from the gun in his hand. This realization took about half a second to register and Daryl sprung into charged out of the trees, pointing his gun at the man in front of Carol.

"Drop the gun!" Rick called, coming out of the trees from a different direction. Austin was behind him, while Beth quickly caught up to them all. Daryl took this moment of slight chaos to look at Carol. His heart did a little leap as he saw she was unharmed. In fact, she was smiling at him. He couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from curling into a tight smile at the sight of her.

"Everyone calm down." Daryl brought himself back to the conversation at hand.

"You come into our camp, shoot at us, then want us to calm down?" One of the men yelled. Daryl hadn't realized that the man's gun was pointed right at Carol.

"Tony, stop!" The woman yelled. "This ain't worth it!"

"Don't take their side!" Tony growled back. He turned back to Daryl. "Who the hell do you think you are anyway?"

"Daryl fuckin' Dixon." Daryl replied, eyes narrowed. Suddenly Tony's anger was replaced with a mocking smile. Much to Daryl's confusion, Carol looked scared suddenly.

"Dixon huh?" Daryl didn't like how he'd said his name. The other man near Hershel laughed. "He your new boyfriend, Carol?" Daryl looked to Carol, confused, surprised to see Carol's cheeks turning a light shade of scarlet. Daryl looked hesitantly at Rick, unsure what to do at this point. Rick and Daryl had their guns on Tony, who in turn had his on Carol. The other man pointed his gun at a defenseless Hershel while Austin had his gun at the man. The woman was held at bay by Beth.

"Look, we don't want any trouble." Rick said.

"A little late for that, ain't it?" Tony asked. Whatever reply any of them came up with was cut off by the groaning of walkers. Daryl silently cursed himself for using the gun instead of his crossbow.

"Just give us our people!" Rick yelled, looking around for walkers. Before any of them could react, a walker lunged from the trees, missing Beth by inches, grabbing the woman next to her.

"Amanda!" Carol cried. Suddenly, multiple things happened at once. The walker plunged its teeth into Amanda's shoulder, ripping apart the flesh and muscle. Beth, in surprise, stumbled back, running into Tony, who sent a bullet flying at the ground near Carol. Carol, however was running to Amanda. Then, all at once, seven shots were fired. Tony fired two at Carol, while Daryl fired two at him. Rick fired once at Tony, once at the other man. Beth fired at the walker attacking Amanda. And before anyone realized what'd happened, four bodies hit the ground.


	20. Seven Deaths

_**A/N: Sorry the last chapter was so short, but thanks for all the reviews! Love. ~Helen**_

Everything went in slow motion. Every second lasting an eternity. Carol heard the shots, but didn't understand them at first. Her instincts were to help Amanda, someone she'd once known. As she was running to her however, two arms wrapped around her and pulled her to the ground. Before she knew what'd happened, someone was calling her name. Then another pair of arms was pulling her up, only these arms were so familiar.

"Daryl…" She whispered softly…" She looked up at him to see his blue eyes looking at her. See saw something there that she'd never seen before. Could it have been fear?

"Is she hurt?" Someone else called. Beth? She wanted to look, but couldn't take her eyes off Daryl, afraid he'd materialize right before her.

"Nah. Just shocked." Daryl said, still looking at her. He slowly lifted her off the ground so they were both standing. "Austin took the bullets." Austin? She remembered seeing him. Where was he? She tore her eyes from Daryl's face. The first thing she saw was Red, laying on the ground, face down, blood pooling around him. Next, she saw the walker, shot in the head. Amanda was on the ground, bleeding excessively from her shoulder, but she was alive. She wasn't caught in the crossfire like the others. Looking over she saw Tony, he had two gunshot wounds in his chest and one right between his eyes. She gasped when she saw Austin. Rick was kneeling next to him, calling for Hershel.

"How many?" Hershel asked, breaking his embrace from Beth and walking to Rick. Austin was still alive, but obviously in pain.

"Two." Rick replied. "In the back." Carol bit her lip and looked at Daryl.

"Did he…"

"Yeah." Daryl replied to her unfinished question. She felt tears well up in her eyed. As the bullets flew, it was Austin who'd grabbed her, pulling her to the ground. He used his body as a shield to protect her.

"I can save him." Hershel said quietly. "But it has to be now. He won't make it to camp. There's medical supplies in the tent over-"

"No." Austin choked, interrupting Hershel. They all looked at him. "Ain't worth it." He half smiled at them all,

"Austin-" Rick began, but Austin cut him off.

"Please, let me go." He whispered. "Let me be with my wife and boy." Rick looked to the others, then looked down. Daryl, still keeping one arm around Carol, walked to the dying man and knelt next to him.

"Carol wasn't your concern." He grumbled. His voice was barely audible to anyone other than Austin and Carol, the others didn't hear his voice crack. Carol quickly realized this was Daryl's way of thanking him. Austin seemed to understand that too.

"You keep her close." Austin replied. His body twitched slightly as Daryl nodded and stood back up. Carol looked at Amanda then, realizing she was dead now. Carol, shaking slightly, reached out and took the gun from Daryl, and shot Amanda in the head. They were all quiet for minute.

"You guys go on ahead." Rick finally said. "Catch up with Glenn. I'll be along shortly." Carol's lip trembled as she realized what Rick was going to do.

"You don't have to do it all yourself." Daryl said softly. "I can stay."

"You have other important things to focus on." Rick replied, with a quick glance at Carol. Daryl seemed to understand and nodded. As they all turned to leave, Carol paused. She tore herself from Daryl and walked to Austin, kneeling next to him.

"I'm sorry." She whispered softly. He was about to reply, but she continued to talk. "Thank you. Thank you for all you've done for us." She placed her hand on his arm and gave a comforting squeeze. She moved to stand when Austin grabbed her arm, pulling her to him. She lowered her head close to his as he whispered something in her ear.

"Stay alive for him." She pulled back, giving him a confused look. In response to her expression he merely smirked and gave a stiff nod. She stood then, and returned to Daryl's arms. Hershel, with his arm around his youngest daughter, followed Daryl and Carol from the camp and back to Glenn. Once they reached him, he looked relieve at first, then worried.

"Rick?" He asked. "Austin? There were a lot of shots. I didn't know what to do."

"Rick's fine." Hershel explained. "Austin got shot. Rick's with him now. They're waiting." Glenn nodded, fully understanding what was happening.

"What about my people?" Carol hadn't noticed the man sitting off on the side. His wrists and ankles were bound by rope, and he wore a worried expression. She recognized him from the camp.

"Dead." Daryl snapped harshly. Carol gave him a distasteful look, but didn't argue. She wasn't going to upset him right now, not since she'd just got him back.

"How'd it go down?" The man asked. No one spoke for a minute. Carol looked at this man, all he wanted was a bit of closure, to know how his friends died. She sighed.

"Cyrus was mad." She began, feeling slightly uncomfortable as all eyes fell on her. They all listened closely to her, even Hershel, Beth and Daryl, as if they hadn't just lived it. As Carol finished her story, they all remained silent. All lost in their own thoughts until a gunshot echoed around them. Beth sobbed, clinging to her father. Glenn flinched. Carol and Daryl did nothing except pull each other closer. They all looked at each other, knowing one thought ran through all of their heads: Austin's dead.

~X~

Finally Rick rejoined the little group of five. No one said a word about Austin, they all just remained quiet until Rick spoke.

"We should head back."

"What about him?" Glenn asked. They'd all forgotten about the man from the camp. They all looked at him and he suddenly looked worried.

"I say we kill him." Daryl said gruffly. Normally Carol would've objected to Daryl's poor behavior, but frankly at that moment, she didn't care. She just wanted to go home. Or, at least her temporary home. Where she had shelter, and food and friends. Mostly she wanted to lay down next to Daryl, close her eyes and feel safe.

"There ain't no call for that." Rick said sternly.

"Please, just let me go. I'll be fine on my own." The man pleaded. Rick sighed and motioned for all of them to come talk. Carol followed, not really wishing to be part of it. Much like the decision with Randall at the farm, she simply wanted no say in the matter. The men were the ones who protected, sheltered, fed and cared for them. They'd always known the best course of action and Carol trusted that. She stood next to Daryl, staring at the ground. She ignored the conversation and got lost in her own thoughts. Only a harsh, painful cry pulled Carol out of her mind. The entire group turned to see the man laying on the ground, three walkers on top of him, tearing at his flesh. Instinctively, they all reached for their weapons, but it was Beth who'd fired first, dropping all three walkers to the ground. The man was already dead. There had been seven deaths that night.

_**A/N: So some of you seemed to want Beth to do something sweet, so there's a little bad-ass-Beth-ness for you. Also, I realized that seven seems to be their unlucky number. Seven shots, seven deaths... I think I see a pattern forming. Remember to review. Love. ~Helen**_


	21. Reunion

_**A/N: So, people wanted more Caryl. So here's a bit for you. :D Love. ~Helen**_

Carol sat at the edge of the bed, knowing she couldn't sleep until Daryl returned. He was off with Rick discussing watch schedules, and he'd told Carol to wait in their room. So, there she sat, her legs dangling off the bed as she swung them back and forth nonchalantly. She recounted the night's events.

After Beth took out the walkers, the man from the other camp was dead. Daryl was quick to put an arrow through his head. Realizing all the gunshots from earlier had probably attracted every walkers from there to Texas, they swiftly sprinted back to their own camp. Carol and Hershel received many hugs once they'd returned. Although once they told the story of Austin's death, the mood was not so happy. Which was to be expected. However, the group understood his sacrifice, and accepted his passing a bit easier. Eventually they all drifted off to bed, leaving only Rick, Daryl, Carol, Glenn and Maggie awake. Daryl told Carol to wait in their room, that she should relax after the stressful evening. Carol reluctantly obeyed, knowing she'd sit up and wait for Daryl anyway.

When he'd finally come in, she breathed a bit easier. This was the first she'd seen him that night, really seen him. The dark circles under his eyes, the worried creases in his forehead, his rigid, tense muscles. She felt horrible. She knew she'd put him through hell. She should've never went for that walk. If she hadn't, Hershel wouldn't have been in danger. Daryl wouldn't have worried. They wouldn't have had to come after her helpless ass. Austin would've been alive.

"What'd Rick say?" Carol asked as Daryl rested the crossbow against the wall near the bed.

"Said we're far enough from the other camp. Walkers attracted by the gunfire won't be able to find us." Daryl replied, shrugging off his jacket.

"What about watch?"

"Glenn and Maggie are out there now. Rick and T will go later, until everyone is up." Daryl untied his boots and kicked them off.

"You don't watch?"

"Nah. Not tonight." Carol smiled a bit.

"Then you get the couch." She teased. He chuckled lightly, but the laugh didn't reach his eyes. He lifted his shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor.

Carol couldn't help but smile. He'd become so trusting of her. No one except her saw his scars, his deepest secret. She knew even Daryl's own brother hadn't seen them. He trusted her with that part of him, knowing she'd never hurt him. Carol knew she was pushing the boundaries of their friendship as she stood up and stepped closer to him. He didn't flinch away she reached her hand out, touching one finger lightly on his chest, over a scar there. It was one of the few scars not on his back. There were three small ones on his stomach, one on his side, two on his arm, and one on his chest. She didn't dare look at him, afraid he'd pull away. She trailed her hand up and around his neck, then standing on her toes, she pulled him into a hug. She knew she'd caught him off guard, and he was unsure what to do. That's why she was surprised when he reacted almost immediately, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

"You scared the hell out of me." He grumbled. He wasn't mad, she knew. He was just stating his concern.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled into his shoulder. She pulled back and looked at him. "I kinda got this nine lives thing going for me." She smirked. He chuckled and unwrapped his arms. He took her hand and pulled her over to the bed. She climbed into it, covering herself with the comforter as he slid in next to her. He blew out the candle in the room and laid next to Carol.

"Daryl." She whispered as she scooted closer to him. He didn't reply, but she knew he was listening. "Thank you." He grunted in reply, wrapping his arms around her again. She smiled and drifted off to sleep.

~X~

Carol fell asleep quickly, leaving Daryl to lie awake. Her breathing was even, her face was peaceful. She had a small smile playing on her lips as she forgot about the night and its horrors. Daryl, still wide awake, held her close to him and felt her heart beating. He silently thanked god, or whoever was there, that her heart still could beat. Could pump blood through her veins and keep her alive and thriving. He didn't know what he would've done if he'd have lost her. If Austin hadn't taken the bullets for her.

Daryl frowned. He knew exactly what he would've done. He would've left. He could've lived on his own, he would've been better off. The only thing holding him back was the woman laying next to him. When he thought about everyone in the group individually, he realized that none of them were holding him back. Rick was a good leader on his own. T-Dog was strong enough to survive. Glenn was strategic. Even though Daryl would never admit it, he'd grown to like Glenn quite a bit, but not enough to stick around for him. The others in the group didn't truly matter to him. He wouldn't shed a tear if they were lost. Only Carol. Carol was the only reason he'd stayed. True, they could survive, just the two of them. They had once before for a few nights. It'd be less mouths to feed, less bullshit to deal with.

However, when Daryl thought about it, he'd rather have her around other people. She needed the socialization. Plus, as much as he hated to admit it, he wasn't immortal. If something were to happen to him, what would Carol do? She needed someone to protect her. Daryl would've put up with a thousand pregnant, hormonal Loris, to make sure Carol's safe and alive. Daryl sighed and looked at Carol.

"Damn you for making me care." He whispered. She didn't reply, but the sound of his voice made her smile in her sleep. The corner of his mouth twitched in a small smile before he pressed his lips to her forehead gently before drifting off to sleep.


	22. Curiosity

"Rick, for God's sake!" Lori gasped. Rick turned as his wife made her way to him, her arms wrapped around herself. "Don't you know how to sleep anymore?" Rick sighed and hopped off the platform, making his way to her.

"You're going to freeze out here." Rick said softly, shrugging off his coat and throwing it around Lori's shoulder. She had a jacket on already, but it was just a thin one.

"You need to come inside." Lori said. "You haven't had even one good night's rest since Atlanta."

"I'm fine."

"Go wake up Daryl."

"Daryl's watching Carol." Lori groaned in irritation.

"Carol isn't a kid!"

"But she needs him right now." With that, Rick climbed back onto the platform. Lori sighed and followed, taking a seat next to him. She reached over and took his hand, entwining their fingers.

"I miss you." She whispered. Rick looked at her, his eyes soft and warm.

"I love you." He replied. "Always have." He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She smiled and they sat quietly. Quite a while past and the sun slowly crept over the trees, warming them almost completely. They both turned as the door to the house opened. Lloyd, followed by Brent, Carol, Beth and Sharona came out, carrying bags.

"Carl, what's going on?" Lori asked, frantically climbing form the platform and running to the small group. Rick followed quickly behind.

"Brent, Sharona, and I are leaving." Lloyd said calmly.

"Why?" Rick asked.

"We lost Malory and Austin since we joined this group." Lloyd explained. "We're better lookin after ourselves."

"We couldn't prevent that-"

"We ain't blamin you folk." Lloyd interrupted. "Things happen."

"You knew about this?" Lori asked Beth and Carl.

"Found out this morning." Beth replied.

"Think this through." Rick said. "You can't survive out there."

"We aren't survivin in here!" Brent said impatiently.

"Daddy." Sharona said quietly. They all looked at her. "I don't want to leave. I've felt safer here than anywhere else." Lloyd and Brent only stared at her.

"Please, listen to Sharona." Lori spoke up.

"I'm leavin." Brent replied angrily, walking to the black suburban. He through his bags in the back and turned to look at them.

"Brent, come on." Sharona pleaded. "Lets think about this."

"I'm leavin." Brent repeated. "With, or without you."

"Come on, Sharona." Lloyd said, walking to the suburban.

"No, daddy." She said forcefully. "We're gonna die out there. Where are we gonna go?"

"The coast." Lloyd replied. "Where we shoulda went to start with."

"Lets go, Sharona!" Brent yelled angrily. Sharona sighed in defeat as angry tears formed in her eyes. She turned to Beth and pulled her into a tight embrace, crying softly into her friend's shoulder.

"Lloyd-"

"We're done talking, Rick." Lloyd interrupted. He turned and yelled for Sharona as he climbed into the driver's seat. Brent was already in the passenger's seat. Sharona pulled away from Beth and gave her a soft smile. She smiled to Rick, Lori and Carl before walking to the suburban and climbing in the back seat.

~X~

Lori paused outside the door. She knew entering Daryl's room could be potentially dangerous, and even fatal if she caught him off guard. But if Carol was with him, would he be relaxed, or more on edge? From what she heard from Glenn they were quite intimate when they slept. What if she walked in and embarrassed them? She didn't want to feel Daryl's rage or ruin Carol's morning. She raised her hand hesitantly and knocked softly on the door. There was a pause. Then she heard Daryl grumble.

"What?"

"Rick wants to talk to you." Lori said. She heard Daryl grumble a reply, then there was silence. She heard the two whispering, and curiosity got the best of her. She turned the doorknob as quietly as possible, giving the door a light push. It opened with ease. Carol and Daryl were unaware the door had even opened as Lori poked her head in.

Daryl stood in the middle of the room with Carol in front of him. They were talking in hushed voices and it seemed like a very serious topic. Carol's face was formed into a frown as she looked at Daryl, who also looked rather serious. Lori strained her ears trying to hear, but wasn't successful. Finally Carol let out a small giggle and they went back to acting normal. Lori was about to back out of the room when Daryl suddenly became serious again, then he rested his palm on Carol's cheek, brushing his thumb over her cheekbone. She smiled and leaned into his hand. Daryl said something quietly to her, which left her smiling even more. He pulled away and grabbed his crossbow and headed for the door. Lori quickly moved out of his path, making sure she wasn't seen.

~X~

Daryl laid awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. Carol laid awake next to him, her head resting on his shoulder. Neither of them spoke, just sat quietly, enjoying the company. His fingers were tracing soft lines along her back that sent tiny shivers through her. Her index finger ghosted over the scars on his chest, feeling the roughness of the scarred skin. And then there was a knock at the door. With a quick glance at each other they reluctantly sat up.

"What?" Daryl grumbled, not wanting to talk to anyone or see anyone but Carol.

"Rick wants to talk to you." Lori's voice called quietly from the other side of the door. Daryl sighed and grumbled under his breath. He stood up and grabbed his shirt, slipping it over his head. Carol came over to him, and stood in front of him as he heard the door click open. With a small smirk he lowered his voice for only Carol to hear.

"She's listening." He said quietly.

"Figured as much." She replied, equally as quiet. She frowned.

"Why are they always in our business?" He asked, annoyed.

"Curiosity killed the cat." She replied. Then Daryl smirked slightly.

"Then lets give her something to be curious about." He said. Carol giggled a little and nodded. Daryl flashed a quick look at the door, then raised his hand and placed it on Carol's cheek. She smiled, but her eyes shot him a warning look not to confuse Lori too much. She didn't want to be interrogated later. So instead Daryl whispered to her. "Have fun playing twenty questions about this." She smiled more as he pulled away and grabbed his crossbow. He watched Lori disappear from the door and he turned and gave Carol a small wink, then left to find Rick.

He passed Lori, who was pretending to look out the window. He smirked and headed outside where the others were waiting. Rick, Hershel, Glenn, Maggie, Carl and Beth were standing in the driveway when he approached.

"Sup?" He asked, looking at all of them.

"Lloyd, Sharona and Brent left this morning." Rick said.

"What do you mean they left?" Daryl asked.

"Thought they could survive on their own." Carl spoke.

"You try to convince them to stay?" Daryl looked at each one of them, obviously not believing that they just left.

"Me and Carl did." Beth explained. "Then Rick and Lori tried. Sharona wanted to stay, but couldn't convince the men."

"They're gonna die out there!" Daryl said angrily. His raised voice caused them all to look at him.

"You don't think I told them that?" Rick said. Daryl looked at him. He was obviously irritated that he couldn't convince them to stay.

"They made their choice." Hershel said respectively. "What's done is done. There ain't a point to arguing about it." They all remained quiet for a minute, eventually agreeing silently that Hershel was right.

"Now, we need someone to make a run." Rick said.

"We just made a run." Daryl said. He had to stop and think. That was the day before, right? It seemed like it was so much longer ago.

"Not to this town." Rick said. "I want to head to a larger town. It's about a good hours drive away." He turned to Maggie. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Maggie said. Daryl could tell she wasn't. She looked exhausted. Hershel and Glenn seemed to think the same.

"Maggie, I think you better stay put." Glenn said.

"Glenn, I can help,"

"Glenn is right." Hershel defended calmly. "You're feeling better and can be up and moving. But running around isn't good. And I don't know if your immune system can handle being around walkers right now." Maggie groaned in irritation and stormed off into the house.

"Daryl, will you go on the run?" Rick asked, looking expectantly to his right hand man. Daryl looked at the ground, then back at Rick.

"Yeah. I'll take care of it." He agreed.

"Can I go?" Carl spoke up. "I wanna pick something up." Daryl looked to Rick, who seemed to be having an internal debate about it.

"Daryl?" Rick asked. Daryl was caught off guard, not sure why Rick was asking him. It took him a moment to realize it was because Carl would be his responsibility. Daryl looked at Carl.

"You listen to everything I say. Do what I tell ya to when I tell ya to do it. No questions." He said sternly. Carl nodded eagerly.

"I'll get you the list of things we need." Beth said and wandered to the house.

"Thanks, Daryl." Glenn said. "I appreciate it." Daryl grumbled under his breath, not liking the gratitude.

"You need anyone else?" Rick asked. Daryl thought about everyone in the group before responding.

"Carol."


	23. Road Trip

Carol was surprised when Daryl told her that she was going on the run. She was even more surprised when he said Carl was accompanying them. Usually, Daryl avoided Carl unless he was teaching him how to hunt. Daryl was good with kids, just wasn't sure how to respond to them in more emotional ways. Carol assumed that's what she was along for, to watch Carl. Daryl, Rick, Carol and Carl all sat in the kitchen of the larger house, looking at a map.

"This would be the best way." Daryl said, pointing to a road on the map. "It'll take longer, but it'll be safer."

"What about gas?" Carl asked. Carol smiled a little, acknowledging the boy's thought.

"Gas ain't a problem if it means you'll make it there and back with little trouble." Rick replied.

"We can get some in town." Daryl said.

"How much longer would it take?" Rick asked. Daryl shrugged.

"Another hour at least. Maybe two if we run into a road block." Rick nodded.

"I think that'd be best."

"The run will take all day." Daryl said. "We'll load up guns and ammo and whatever else tonight, leave first thing in the morning." Carol and Carl nodded in agreement.

"In that case, no watches for you guys tonight." Rick replied.

"I don't mind pulling a double shift." Glenn said, appearing in the doorway.

"I'm fine to watch." Daryl grumbled.

"Daryl, we need you as rested as you can get." Carol said, knowing she was the only one who could convince him to sleep. She saw Lori enter the room out of the corner of her eye and the corner of her mouth twitched in a smile. "Besides, I won't sleep well if you aren't there." She added. Daryl's eyes sparked with humor, but his face gave nothing away as Lori looked anxiously between the two. Rick, Glenn and Carl took no notice in their little tease with Lori.

~X~

"You nervous?" Daryl asked. They were in their room, preparing to go to sleep. They had their backs turned to each other as they changed.

"Not really." Carol said honestly. She knew Daryl worried about her, especially after the last run when Malory was bit.

"You think Carl will be okay to have with?" Daryl asked. Carol turned and nodded. They'd both finished changing and climbed into bed. Carol curled up next to Daryl, his chest against her back as he wrapped his arms around her. She put her hand over his, slowly entwining their fingers.

"I think tomorrow will be okay." She said. "You'll be with. And I always feel safe when you're around. So we'll be okay." She brought his hand to her lips and kissed his palm lightly before letting their arms rest back on the bed. "I have faith in that."

He didn't object to her statement, or tell her that having faith in him was stupid. Instead he took what she'd said in stride. He would protect her with his life, they both knew that. And she'd protect Carl. All in all, if anyone were to get hurt, it would be him, but nothing could kill a Dixon accept a Dixon. So, he let her have her faith. He let her kiss his hand without flinching, secretly enjoying the gently touch of her lips on his skin. He let her keep the silly grin on her face as she slowly drifted to sleep, him following shortly behind.

~X~

"Carol." His voice seemed a long way away. He sounded tired. She slowly pulled herself out of her sleep and her eyes fluttered open. She could barely make him out in front of her as the sleepiness fogged her vision.

"Daryl?" She asked, knowing full well it was him. She reached one arm out from the blanket, shivering as it met the cold air around her. She stretched, then rubbing her eyes, she looked at him again. He was far more clear this time.

"It's time to go." He said. She saw that he didn't seem as tired as he sounded, which surprised her a little. Usually he was more tired, or angry, or sad, or even scared than his physical appearance showed. His eyes were wide and awake, watching her intently.

"You're one of those damn annoying morning people, aren't you?" She asked playfully. He smirked.

"Get up. Before I roll your tired ass off the bed." He stood from his kneeling position on the floor as she sat up. She stretched again before climbing from the bed.

"Did you wake up Carl?" She asked. He shook his head.

"Was gonna do that while you changed." He said. She nodded and he left the room.

~X~

Rick helped them load supplies into the van they were taking. Daryl wasn't fond of the vehicle choice, but next to the suburban that Lloyd took, it was the largest vehicle that carried the most supplies. Carl had awoken long enough to climb from his bed, make his way down the stairs, put on a coat and climb into the van. He fell asleep almost instantly in the back seat. As they were getting ready to leave, Lori came out of the house with a list she handed Carol. She then gave her sleeping son a quick kiss on the forehead. She headed back for the house, but not before sending a warning glance at Daryl.

"Keep my boy safe." Rick said to Daryl. "I'm counting on you." Daryl only nodded, knowing nothing he said could've eased the man's stress anymore.

"We'll make sure nothing happens to him." Carol said, touching Rick's shoulder lightly. Her voice was soft and confident at the same time and that made Rick relax a bit. After a quick good bye, Carol climbed into the passenger's seat, while Daryl got behind the wheel. They drove out of the driveway, leaving Rick to stand in front of the house alone.

"At least we have heat in the car." Daryl grumbled. Carol smiled. That was one downside to the houses they stayed in. The lack of heating wasn't very comfortable. She reached over and turned the dial, making more hot air blow from the vent. Just then, Carl let out a small snore from the back seat, which made Carol giggle.

"This is going to be a long ride, isn't it?" Daryl groaned, making Carol laugh more.

_**A/N: Hey guys. Sorry this was sort of a dull, short chapter. Just wanted to set up their departure a bit before I continued. I promise next chapter will have more excitement. Love. ~Helen**_


	24. Beginning The Run

_**A/N: Second Chapter! Happy Walking Dead Day! Love. ~Helen**_

Carol, Daryl, and Carl had only been driving for about twenty minutes when Carol gasped. Daryl, slightly alarmed looked at her, slowing the car down. She looked at him, then pointed in front of her. He followed her finger up the road to a black suburban, parked on the side of the road. He looked back at Carol as the same thoughts flashed through their minds.

"It can't be." Daryl grumbled simply. Carol didn't reply, just bit her lip as the van slowed to a stop next to the suburban. They looked cautiously in the windows, not seeing a person.

"Why are we stopped?" Carl asked tiredly, blinking the sleep from his eyes.

"Just stay in the car, baby." Carol said without really thinking, then she opened the door. Daryl caught her wrist as she moved to get out.

"Be careful." Daryl warned. She gave a stiff nod before climbing from the van. She left the door open as she made her way across the street to the suburban. She peered in the drivers window, seeing blood droplets on the seat. She frowned and opened the door. The car was completely empty, except for their three bags in the back seat. Carol opened the back door and grabbed ones of the bags out. Daryl shut off the van and he and Carl climbed out.

"They left their stuff here." Carol said as Daryl walked to her.

"I wasn't suppose to tell anyone." Carl said suddenly. They turned to look at him. "When Brent and Glenn went to look for you, they separated. Brent got bit by a walker." Daryl and Carol exchanged a shocked glance before looking back at the boy.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Daryl growled, making Carl take a step back.

"I didn't know until yesterday morning." Carl explained. "That's why they left."

"Why wouldn't he say anything?" Carol yelled, causing both Carl and Daryl to jump. She wasn't yelling at them, really, more at the air. "He let his sister get in a car with him and he was bit! He was freaking bit! And he put his sister and his father in danger!" She kicked the tire of the suburban before grabbing fistfuls of her own hair and taking a deep breath.

"You okay?" Daryl asked, coming to stand next to her. Her eyes were closed and she nodded, then bit her lip.

"So where is Lloyd and Sharona?" Carl asked innocently. They both turned to look at his concerned face. "Can we track them? Make sure they're okay?" Daryl thought about it for a minute.

"Fine." He grumbled. "But I ain't chasing their asses around Georgia. We'll follow them for a couple miles, then come back. We gotta get back to the run." Carol and Carl nodded, understanding. They each grabbed a gun and a knife and followed the tracks that led from the vehicle to the woods.

Daryl took this opportune moment to teach Carl and Carol a little about tracking. He taught them the basics, things that they could use if they were lost. He didn't get into specifics because he was in a hurry. Finally their tracks led to a body, and a pool of blood. Daryl walked over cautiously, to see Brent. Or, what was left of Brent. He'd turned before they'd killed him, which was stupid. Daryl looked at the bullet hole in his head and hated the thought of Lloyd or Sharona having to kill their own son, or brother. He turned back to Carol and Carl, and they seemed to understand. He motioned for them to follow as he tracked the other two.

"They tried to loop around back to the suburban." Daryl said. "But I think of them was bit." Daryl pointed to the blood splatters close to the footprints. "I think it was Lloyd. Come here, Carl. See how Lloyd footprints are starting to get sloppy. He stumbled here, and dragged his left foot here." Carl nodded. Carol smiled at how fast Carl was learning, and how well Daryl was teaching him.

"You know what's weird?" Carol said as they began walking again. "Brent lasted quite a while before he even showed signs of being bit."

"Well it was only over night." Daryl replied. "Didn't Jenner say it could be almost a full day before they change? Or something like that." Carol shrugged.

"Look!" Carl gasped, pointing at a leg sticking out from behind a tree. Carl and Daryl ran forward to see Lloyd. He hadn't changed completely.

"Sharona took care of him… Before he turned." Carl said sadly. Carol gave him a sad smile and placed her hand on his shoulder and pulling him closer to her. He leaned against her, not minding her comforting him like he was her kid.

"Where's Sharona?" Carol asked. Daryl looked at the pair of footprints leading from Lloyd's body.

"This way." He said. They followed him down this hill and through a patch of far thicker trees. "She really got off course." Daryl said.

"Maybe the bullets attracted walkers." Carl said. Daryl shrugged, which was as close as Carl was going to get to an agreement. Finally they came to an area with a million large rocks all piled together. They were piled on top of each other to create almost a mountain.

"Her tracks stop here." Daryl said, looking up at the rock pile.

"Sharona!" Carl called. Carol and Daryl were quick to shush him. His cheeks got red and he looked at the ground.

"I ain't tryin to climb that." Daryl said. Carol nodded.

"I don't think it's a good idea. You slip and you'll snap your leg in half. Or worse." Carol said.

"What about Sharona?" Carl whined.

"If she made it great, but I ain't riskin my neck." Daryl said sharply.

"Carl?" They all turned at the familiar voice. Sharona, bruised and covered in blood, crawled out from a small space in between a few rocks on the ground.

"Sharona!" Carl cried excitedly, running to embrace his friend. She smiled happily and pulled herself out of the rocks the rest of the way. Carol gasped when she saw the girl's ankle. It was so bruised, it was nearly black. It was twisted in a way the was no where near physically possible, and they could see the white of bone sticking from the skin.

"Sweet heart, what happened?" Carol asked, making her way to the girl. She noticed that Sharona was pale. She'd lost a lot of blood from that ankle, mostly because she didn't know how to care for it.

"I tried to climb the rocks." She said sheepishly. "My leg got caught. I fell and landed near the opening, so I just crawled in. Walkers were coming after me."

"Come on!" Carl said, grabbing Sharona's arm. "We have to get you back to camp! We have to get you to Hershel!"

"Carl," Carol's tone caught his attention. "If we move her right now, it will only hurt more." Sharona nodded.

"I won't make it, Carl." She said sadly. "This is the end for me." Carl began to sob, kneeling next to his friend.

"That's not for sure…" Daryl said uncertainly. He looked desperately from Sharona, to Carl, to Carol. He met Carol's eyes, and she nodded slowly as tears welled in her eyes.

"Carol, will you please, let me go?" Sharona asked. Carol looked between Sharona and Daryl. She wasn't sure why Sharona was asking her permission.

"Sharona…" Carol didn't know what to say.

"Give me the gun. I'll do it myself." Sharona said bravely. Carol looked at Daryl who gave a stiff nod. Carl looked at Carol, his eyes leaking tears. Carol swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Are you sure?" Carol asked. Sharona nodded and smiled.

"I won't make it much longer, losing all this blood. I don't want to be them." Carol took a deep breath and handed Sharona her gun. Carl stood up and clung to Carol, burying his face in her shirt. Daryl wrapped his arms around the two of them.

"Thank you." Sharona said. She smiled warmly to them. Carol squeezed her eyes shut and looked away. Hot tears flooded her eyes and poured down her cheeks as a gunshot went off.

~X~

"We should siphon the gas from the suburban to the van." Daryl said. They were almost back to the road. They'd covered Sharona's body with a blanket, and pulled her under a tree that looked peaceful, but it was the best they could do. They had to get back to the run. Carl hadn't let go of Carol since it'd happened, and if he did, he never wandered far.

"Good idea." Carol agreed. "I'll get whatever supplies they put in the suburban."

"Carl, you wanna move the van closer to the suburban?" Daryl asked, holding out the keys to Carl. Carl looked from Daryl to the keys, and then back again.

"I-I don't know how to drive." Carl stuttered quietly. Daryl looked confused for a minute.

"Your dad never taught you how to drive?" Carl shook his head. Daryl's look softened. He gave Carol and glance, that she returned with a small smile. They reached the road and Daryl went to siphon the gas while Carl and Carol gathered supplies.

"Is that everything?" Carol asked. Daryl nodded.

"Lets go." Daryl said. Carl began walking to the van before Daryl called to him. He turned. "You ain't ridin in the back." He said. Carl looked confused. Carol smile, knowing what Daryl was up to.

"Whatcha mean?" Carl asked.

"You said you never learned how to drive." Daryl tossed the car keys to Carl, who caught them. "Bout time you learned, ain't it?"


	25. Learning To Drive

_**A/N: So I had someone tell me that they were a little confused by the relationships of Lloyd's group. Just to clear it up, Malory, Brent and Sharona are all Lloyd's children. Austin's only relation was his Marriage to Malory. Austin and Malory had a son Sam, who changed at the beginning of the apocalypse. I'm really sorry if I confused any of you. Love. ~Helen**_

Carol sat in the backseat of the van, Daryl in the front, with Carl behind the wheel. Carl was nervous and he hadn't even started driving yet. Carol watched proudly as Daryl explained the basics to Carl. Carl nodded in reply, but still looked nervous. He pushed his foot on the gas, causing the car to lurch forward. Carl let out a small cry and slammed his foot on the brake. The car stopped before Carol could catch herself and she hit her head on the back of the driver's seat. She groaned and rubbed her head, just above her eyebrow.

"You okay?" Daryl asked as Carl scrambled out an apology. Carol laughed and nodded.

"It's fine, Carl." She assured him. He smiled gratefully at her.

"Easy this time." Daryl said. Carl nodded and took a deep breath before trying again.

Carl picked up driving pretty easily, though he had quite the need for speed. Daryl had to constantly remind him to slow down as Carl flew over another bump in the road. Carol clung desperately to the seat in front of her as she tried to keep from vomiting.

"Daryl!" Carol gasped as Carl swerved to avoid a walker, sending Carol flying into the door next to her. Daryl took one glance at her and immediately told Carl to stop. Carl slammed on the brakes, nearly making Carol hit her head again. As soon as the car was stopped, she stumbled out and ran for the trees, vomiting the little food she had in her stomach.

"You okay?" Daryl called. He wanted to help, but didn't want to get to close to the vomiting woman.

"Yeah, fine." Carl called back, returning to the road. Daryl stood, leaning against the van with Carl next to him. "I just need to stay still for a minute." She sat on the road, pulling her knees to her chest, and taking deep breaths.

"Carol." Carl's voice caught her attention and she looked up. "You're not pregnant are you? When my mom was first pregnant, she threw up a lot." Carol starred at the boy for a long moment before bursting into laughter. Daryl tried to restrain the laugh that forced itself from him as Carl's face turned a bright red. Carol covered her face with her hands and took a few deep breaths before looking at Carl again.

"No, honey." She giggled. "I'm not pregnant. Just a bit motion sick." Carl nodded and looked at the ground, obviously embarrassed. Carol opened her mouth to tell him it was okay, but Daryl quickly shushed her. Alarmed, she look at him. He was focused on listening, looking at the road ahead of them. Carol turned to follow his gaze, but instead saw the road rose into a hill, obstructing her vision. Daryl climbed up onto the hood of the van, then to the roof so he could see further ahead.

"Walkers." He said quickly. Carl and Carol watched him quietly. "A whole herd of them. Too many to drive through.

"What are we gonna do?" Carl asked. Daryl thought for a minute.

"Get in the van." He said quickly. The others didn't argue as they quickly made their way to the van. "Stay down. Keep yourself out of sight. We'll wait them out, just like on the highway."

"Get in the back." Carol told Carl. "The tinted windows will keep us hidden. Daryl come on!" Daryl climbed from the top of the van. Carol had put the back seat down, giving them more room. Carol sat with her back to the opposite side of the car, facing the door. Carl sat between her and the front seat with her arm around him. Daryl closed the door and moved next to Carol. He instinctively grasped Carol's hand, almost proving to himself that she was there and wasn't leaving.

A good amount of time passed and they sat quietly, listening to the groaning of walkers as they shuffled past. Finally, when it seemed like the last had passed, Daryl let out a relieved sigh. He left go of Carol's hand, suddenly cautious of how tight he was holding it. He nodded to the others and they smiled. He reminded them to stay quiet in case there were a few lingering walkers, then he climbed to the front of the car. Carol didn't dare get out of the van, so she helped Carl put the seat back up, working around him in the tight space. Carl, realizing he shouldn't drive, settled in the back as Carol climbed up front. Daryl started the car and they continued their drive.

~X~

They were almost to the city after what seemed like the longest morning ever. It wasn't even early afternoon yet, and they'd already done so much. Carol was looking over a map of the town as they drove, mapping out their destinations.

"We should hit the mall." She said. Daryl snorted.

"Just like a woman." He said. "End of the world and she wants to go to the mall."

"Just like a man." Carol replied. "End of the world and still stubborn as ever before. It's not like I want to shop for a cute spring top, Daryl."

"Then what do ya need to go for?"

"Daryl, what's in a mall?" He looked at her like she was crazy. "Food, Daryl. Food, supplies, and clothes."

"I wanna go to the mall." Carl spoke up. "I need to get something." Daryl looked at Carol and groaned.

"Fine!" He exclaimed, obviously annoyed. "We'll go to the damn mall!"


	26. Gifts

The mall was surprisingly empty. In fact the whole town was almost completely empty. At first the trio thought the town had already been cleared, but the stores still seemed fully stocked. They arrived at the mall and parked in the back. Carl found an unlocked door and they snuck in quietly.

"I would bet that nearly every place in town shut down when shit got bad." Daryl said. Carol nodded in agreement. "Ya see walkers, use your knives. We don't need anymore comin after us."

They split up, but stayed on the ground floor. Carol went in search for clothes and medical supplies, leaving Daryl and Carl to find food. Carol threw men's, women's and kid's clothes in a bag, hoping they'd fit the group. She found some laundry soap for washing, along with shampoo and regular soap. She found various medical supplies that were useful and she was quite proud of her findings. She made her way back to the van. Daryl and Carl hadn't returned, so she sorted through the supplies. She'd grabbed larger men's clothes for Hershel and T-Dog. Rick, Daryl and Glenn all wore about the same size, and she grabbed smaller clothes for Carl. She even went to the maternity section and picked out some clothes for Lori. Beth, Maggie and herself wore about the same size. With her extra time, she went to the baby section and sorted through baby's clothes.

~X~

"Daryl?" Carl's voice was further back than expected, making Daryl pause and looked over his shoulder. Carl stood in front of one of the stores, staring at it. When Daryl looked at the store, he was surprised to see it was a jewelry store.

"What is it?" Daryl asked.

"Can we go in here?" He asked. Daryl raised and eyebrow and Carl looked away.

"What for?" Daryl asked, walking to the boy. "Didn't picture you as one to need earrings to match your eyes."

"I wanna get Beth something." He replied sheepishly. "And my mom." Daryl watched the boy shift back and forth on his feet, waiting for him to be told no.

"Carl," Daryl began, looking at the store. "If you can go in there, and get somethin your mama's gonna love, _and _drive home without making Carol sick, go for it." Carl's face lit up and he ran into the store. Daryl chuckled and followed. He really always had a soft spot for kids.

He watched Carl as he ran around, looking in the glass cases. Finally he found one he liked, pointing to it. It was a gold chain with a green gem on it, identical to the color of Beth's eyes.

"She's sad." Carl defended his actions to Daryl. "Maybe this'll cheer her up." Daryl didn't reply, just pulled out his gun. Using the end of it, he hit it against the glass, shattering it.

"Don't cut yourself." He grumbled before walking away. He looked around, anxiously waiting to leave to complete the mission of finding food. He looked out the store window to see Carol, she was looking at baby clothes in the store across from them, unaware that they were in the jewelry store. Daryl, not wanting to be caught looking at necklaces quickly ducked behind a jewelry case as she glanced their way. He began to make his way back to Carl when something caught his eye. A single blue gem on the silver band of a bracelet rested in one of the cases. Looking closer at it, he realized the blue was almost the color of Carol's eyes, maybe darker. He quickly glanced at Carl, who was busy getting something else out of a case, before breaking the glass and snatching the bracelet and stuffing it in a small box. He put the box in his pocket before returning to Carl.

"I'm done." Carl said with a smile. Daryl nodded and they left the store in search of food.

~X~

Carl drove on the way back. They'd managed to pack all their items into the van, without much room left for sitting. Daryl ended up in the back, squished between the door and Carol, due to the boxes of supplies on the floor in the front. Carl was fine driving on his own after he got the hang of it, and Daryl really had no complaints riding next to Carol. Carl drove smoother now, careful of the bumps in the road so as not to make Carol sick. Not that it was much of a problem once she fell asleep on Daryl's shoulder.

After about an hour, Daryl traded with Carl, who then napped the rest of the drive home. Carol sat up front, curled in a ball on the seat. She sat with her back to the door, her head resting on the window. She'd offered to drive, and let Daryl rest, but he insisted he wasn't tired and would rather drive. She didn't argue. Most of the ride was quiet, no one really making a noise except for Carl's occasional snoring.

"You were really good with him today." Carol said softly. She lifted her head from the window and looked at Daryl. He shrugged. "You really were." She assured him. "He looks up to you, you know."

"Nah he doesn't." Daryl grumbled. "He's got his dad for that. And Shane, he looked up to that man." Daryl paused. "Well, ya know. Before he tried to get us all killed." Carol laughed lightly.

"I know you don't believe me. But he does. You're a good man." He frowned and looked at her.

"He just needs someone he can talk to. And his dad ain't there. He's just settlin for me."

"He is not settling." Carol argued. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. He didn't say anything, just continued to drive.

"He looks at you like you're his mama." Daryl said after a few minutes. It was Carol's turn to looked surprised. "The way he clung to you this morning. You look out for him like Lori should."

"Lori loves him-"

"I didn't say she didn't." Daryl said quickly, worried he'd angered her. "I'm just sayin, she ain't always been there for him. You look out for him. Always have. Even back in Atlanta." Despite herself Carol couldn't help but smile.

"I miss being a mama." She confessed softly. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"You've always been a mama." He said. "You've always had that inside you."

"But Sophia-"

"Don't matter." He interrupted. "I ain't talking about just her. You're like a mother to everyone of us. Carl, Beth, Lori. Hell even me some of the time." Carol looked flattered and hurt all at once.

"You think I treat you like a kid?" She asked.

"No!" He defended quickly. He sighed and slowed the car down. He put it in park and turned his body to her. "I'm sayin, you've got that mother instinct inside you. You know what to do, and how to do it. You always know what people need, even me." She smiled at that. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, holding it out to her. With a raise of her eyebrow she took it from him.

"What's this?" She asked, looking at the box.

"I was gonna wait to give it to ya, till we got back. But you can have it now." She opened the lid on the box to reveal a silver bracelet with a blue gem. She wasn't sure what to say at first, so she looked at him, hoping her could see her thoughts in her eyes. "Happy late birthday." He said. She smiled and leaned forward, pulling him into the best hug she could in the car.

"Thank you, Daryl." She whispered. She pulled back from him, put didn't let go. Instead she placed her forehead against his and looked into his eyes. "I love it." He smiled. They stayed like that for a second before Daryl pulled away, taking the box and removing the bracelet. He motioned for her to hold out her arm. She obeyed and he clasped the bracelet to her wrist and she stared at it for a moment. With another smile, she placed a hand on his cheek.

"Why are we stopped?" Carl groaned, slowly waking from his nap. Carol quickly dropped her hand as they turned to look at the boy wiping his eyes.

"Just a quick rest stop, dear." Carol said with a warm smile. She gave Daryl another smile before climbing form the van.


	27. Returning Home

_**A/N: Alright guys, so here's another chapter. I'm sorry it's so short. I've been dealing with some things lately and haven't had much time to write. My apologies. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and expect another tonight for Waliking Dead night. Love. ~Helen**_

The evening was slowly creeping upon them. Daryl, Carol, and Carl hadn't returned yet and they all grew worried. When they'd spoken the day before, Daryl assumed they'd return by late afternoon, but as early evening arrived at a quick pace, Rick, Lori, and Beth stood with T-Dog on his watch. Lori paced back and force nervously, while Rick tightened and loosened his grin on the gun in his hand. T-Dog and Beth sat calmly, watching the nervous couple.

"They'll be okay, Lori." Beth said sweetly. Lori looked at her, then away again.

"Beth's right. Just relax." T-Dog agreed.

"I will not relax!" Lori snapped. "Not when my son's life depends on _Daryl Dixon!_" She turned to Rick. "How could you let him go?"

"Daryl will make sure he's safe." Rick replied calmly. "Besides, it's not just Daryl. Carol is with too."

"Oh. _Carol is with." _Lori mocked angrily. "She couldn't keep track of her own kid, even before the world went to shit! Now we put our son's life in her hands?"

"Lori!" Beth gasped. Lori looked at the girl and immediately regretted what she said.

"I'm sorry." She apologized quickly. "That was a horrible thing to say."

"It's okay." Rick said, putting an arm around her. "You're just worried about Carl." Lori gave him a grateful smile. Then they all turned quickly as the van pulled into the driveway. Rick and Lori quickly embraced Carl as he climbed from the back seat, completely unharmed.

"How'd it go?" T-Dog asked, walking towards them.

"Great." Carol said, climbing from the drivers seat.

"Whole damn town has nearly been cleared." Daryl said, closing the car door.

"We got a ton of supplies!" Carl said excitedly. "Food and clothes! Carol even picked out stuff for the baby!" Lori flashed Carol a grateful look.

"Nothing bad happened?" Lori asked. Carl paused.

"Well-"

"We found Lloyd's suburban a ways up the road." Daryl interrupted. "They're all gone." Beth let out a small cry and Carol pulled her into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Beth." Carl said. He left Lori to go hug Beth and Carol, hoping to comfort the sad girl. Lori watched Carol, one arm around Beth and one around Carl, with Daryl watching her protectively. She felt a knot in her stomach. Her lips formed a tight frown as she walked forward, taking Carl's arm.

"Come on, Carl." She said harshly. "Let's unload the supplies." Carl looked taken aback by his mother's tone, but quickly followed. Lori sent an angry glare at Carol, who then looked hurt. Daryl growled and moved to confront Lori. Carol quickly stepped in front of him, putting a hand on his chest.

"Don't." She said with a shake of her head. "It ain't worth it." She gave him a small smile before leading Beth into the house.

~X~

"I don't understand." Beth whispered softly. She sat on the couch next to Carol, who held one of her hands comfortingly. "Why would Brent want to leave? They were safe here. And Sharona wanted to stay. They shoulda listened to her."

"I know." Carol agreed. "But maybe there are other issues we don't know about. Maybe they wanted to go find some family." Carol knew that wasn't true. She knew Brent had been bit, but Beth didn't need to hear that.

"I don't want to lose anyone else, Carol." Beth confessed. "It's too hard."

"I know, honey." Carol said softly. "Believe me. I know."

"Carol?" Carl appeared in the doorway. "Daryl's lookin for ya." Carol nodded and gave Beth a warm smile.

"You come find me if you need something." With a sad smile, Beth nodded. Carol stood to go find Daryl as Carl took her spot.

Carol found Daryl in their room. He was fixing something on his crossbow when she entered. He didn't look up at her, or even acknowledge her presence, so Carol knew he was concentrating. She sat down quietly next to him on the bed. She watched his hands brush over the crossbow, inspecting it, making sure it was in good shape. Finally he finished and looked up at her.

"Rick doesn't think we should stay here much longer." He said. Carol's face fell into a frown.

"What? Why?"

"He thinks stayin' stationary for too long just leads to trouble." He explained. She debated this. In Atlanta, they were attacked. The farm was overrun, along with the cabin. She sighed.

"I suppose he's right." She said reluctantly. "How much longer do we have?" She asked.

"Till we find somewhere new." He said simply. "Me and Rick will go out lookin tomorrow." Carol nodded and laid back on the bed.

"I'm gonna miss this place." She said. He nodded in agreement.

"Yeah." He agreed. "Me too."


	28. Close Encounter

_**A/N: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! It made me feel a million times better! and to everyone who reviewed: Yes, Lori takes quite a bit of effort to love. But I promise this story won't portray her as only the "bad guy". Happy Walking Dead Day! Love. ~Helen**_

Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and Carl left early in the morning to search for a new place to call home. They'd left before Carol had awoken, and Daryl didn't wake her. So, when Carol woke that morning, and she was alone in the bed she instantly worried. If Daryl was going on watch he would've woken her. And if he was going hunting he definitely would've woken her, but he hadn't. She sat up immediately, looking around the room. His crossbow was gone, along with his backpack. His good shoes were missing also. She frowned and reluctantly climbed from the warm bed, walking to the kitchen. She was surprised to discover she was the only one even in the house. Looking out the window, she saw Maggie standing watch with Beth out front. She walked outside, seeing T-Dog and Hershel in the back yard. She made her way to the other house, finding Lori in the kitchen preparing a breakfast for herself.

"Where is Daryl?" Carol asked. "And Carl? Ya know. Everyone." She added quickly.

"They left." Lori replied coldly, not looking at her. Carol frowned again.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Lori snapped. She said at the table and began eating whatever she'd created.

"Lori-"

"It wasn't enough that my husband doesn't love me?" She finally looked up at Carol now. Her eyes were red, obviously she'd been crying. "You had to take my son away?"

"What?" Carol asked, completely confused.

"Don't pretend like you don't know that Carl wishes you were his mother." Lori said, shoving a spoonful of food into her mouth.

"Lori, I'm not taking Carl from you."

"Damn right you ain't." Lori snapped. "Cause I'm keeping him close to me."

"Where the hell is this coming from?" Carol asked, angry now at the false accusations.

"You got Daryl hanging on you like a fucking monkey in a tree!" Lori yelled, standing from the table. "You ain't got your own kid so you gotta go for mine? Tryin to make the perfect little fucking family for yourself?" She turned and stormed from the room. Carol followed after her angrily. She caught the door as Lori tried to slam it.

"Don't you talk to me like that, Lori Grimes!" Carol said angrily. Lori turned and looked at her. Carol hated that she sounded like a mother when she'd said this, but Lori was making her angry. "I'm not trying to steal Carl or what the hell ever is going through your messed up hormonal brain right now! If you maybe remember, I lost my husband. The bastard he was, he was still my husband that I loved once upon a time! And I lost my daughter! I lost my daughter to walkers, never the less! Watched her as one of those monsters! You still have your husband and your son." Angry tears threatened to spill from her eyes if only she'd will them. But she wouldn't. She wouldn't cry in front of Lori now, knowing the woman would take it as a sign of weakness.

"Carol, I-"

"I don't need the sympathy." Carol interrupted, seeing that Lori began to regret her words. "Daryl was there for me when I needed him, he has his own mind, and he can walk away any damn time. I have no claim over the man. I lost my daughter, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna pretend your son is mine. I kept him alive because he's part of my family now, same as you. Same as Rick, and Maggie and Glenn and everyone else in this damn camp. Don't pull this shit on me, Lori, cause I'm the only one who puts up with your bullshit day in and day out." With that she turned and stormed from the house, leaving Lori standing in the living room.

~X~

Daryl drove on his motorcycle, following the van. He couldn't help but laugh every time the van hit a bump in the road and Daryl saw Glenn fly around in the back seat. Rick was surprised to discover that Daryl had taught Carl to drive. He was impressed, but Daryl knew he was also hating himself inside for not teaching his son himself. So, in an act to make up for the lack of father-son bonding, Rick let Carl drive. Daryl felt guilty for not warning Rick and Glenn about Carl's lead foot, but he figured he'd have a good laugh at the sight. He was right.

They slowed and the blinker of the van flashed, letting Daryl know they were pulling over. He followed suit, stopping behind the van. He climbed off the bike, pulling out the keys and tucking them in his pocket. He grabbed his crossbow and walked forward, smirking when Carl climbed from the van.

"Nice drivin, kid. Ya kill little boy china yet?"

"I'm Korean!" Glenn snapped, getting out of the van, his face pale from nausea.

"We should walk from here. I don't know how the terrain is in the woods." Rick said, coming to their side of the vehicle. They all grabbed their bags and began walking into the woods. They walked for quite a while, only separating when they came across a few walkers. They took them out quickly and silently, Daryl was quite impressed by Carl. The kid had picked up the movements quickly, learning from what he'd seen and what Daryl had taught him.

Finally the small group stumbled upon a large cabin. It was nothing like the one they'd previously occupied. It was two stories, with many glass windows looking out into the clearing surrounding it. All in all the house looked immensely unsafe, but for a night or two, Rick figured it would be safe. Solid walls, if nothing else, it was better than a tent. If the drew the curtains closed they'd be okay. So the group moved to clear the house. While Rick and Carl cleared downstairs, Daryl and Glenn headed up stairs. The separated at the top, heading in the opposite direction. Daryl found himself in the master bedroom, walking to the closet. He pulled open the door. It was a walk in closet, so he stepped inside.

A loud groan made him pause. A walker who was once a young woman crawled out from under some clothes. Daryl, preparing to fire, tripped, falling onto his back, dropping the crossbow to his side. The walker, obviously quite hungry, jumped at him. Daryl's arms shot out in front of him and he caught the walker by the shoulders before it could bite him. Daryl heard a loud cry erupt from his throat, unsure where it even came from. The hungry walker inched it's way closer, and Daryl began to panic.

He looked desperately at his crossbow, only a foot from him. He knew he couldn't reach it without risk getting bitten. He then looked to the door, hoping he'd see Glenn appear to save him, but the Korean man didn't appear. The walker above him nearly bit his forearm and he struggled to keep it away. He came to the realization that this may be the end of him. No matter what he or Merle believed, walkers could kill Dixons too. He thought about his group, and how they needed him. He thought about Rick, how he needed the support. He thought about Carl, who had millions of things to learn from him still. And he thought about Carol.

How would Carol react to losing him? Would she cry? Would she isolate herself? Who would comfort her? Not Lori. Not Beth or Carl in the way she needed. What she needed was him. The only two people she'd ever known to make her feel better were himself and Sophia. Could she go on without either of them? She once told him that she couldn't lose him too. He swallowed hard at the thought of dying without seeing her again. He hadn't even woken her up before he left. Why hadn't he just woken her up and said good bye?

He thought about what she was doing at that minute. She was probably doing laundry, or maybe making dinner. The dinner that he wasn't going to eat. The dinner she probably wouldn't eat either, because she would rather starve herself, wallowing in sorrow rather than cope. She wouldn't let him go easily.

He closed his eyes and brought his knee up, right under the walker's stomach. With a loud grunt he shoved, making the walker fly back into the closet. Still laying on the ground, he kicked the door closed and quickly sat in front of it, holding it closed. He breathed heavily, coming to the realization that Carol wouldn't have to let him go. At least not today.

Glenn appeared in the doorway, looking surprised. He looked from Daryl, to the crossbow, to the closet door that now shook from the weight of the walker behind it. Daryl gave him a dark look, watching Glenn flitch slightly.

"Bout damn time you showed up." Daryl growled.


	29. New House

_**A/N: okay! So the new episode was epic. I won't ruin it for anyone who has yet to See it, but it was awesome. Now, to the next chapter! Love. ~Helen**_

Carol stood in the kitchen preparing dinner when Lori walked in. Carol had her back to the doorway where Lori stood. Neither one of them spoke until Lori cleared her throat. Carol looked over her shoulder at the woman.

"I'm sorry." She said softly. Carol didn't reply. "Will you please say something?" Lori asked after a long moment.

"What do you want me to say?" Carol asked. "I said everything earlier."

"Can we talk about it?" Carol sighed and turned to face her.

"Talk about what? You apologized. It's done and over. Time to move on." Carol said, hands on her hips.

"Are you okay?" Lori looked unsure of herself, nervous.

"I'm fine." Carol replied simply, turning her back to her food. Lori stepped to the counter to help her. They worked silently as the sun lowered outside, a blanket of darkness covering them. Finally a car pulled into the driveway, the headlight shining in the womens' eyes. Carol smiled as she and Lori headed outside. The reached the driveway as three people climbed from the car. Carol froze.

Carl climbed from the driver's seat and Glenn stepped out from the back. Rick walked to their side of the car and his eyes scanned the group, landing on her. Her hand rested on her stomach, easing the knot that was forming within. Her breath became uneven and she grabbed Lori's arm to support her shaking legs.

"Carol," Rick began, walking towards her. She watched him, wide eyed. She began shaking her head as tears formed in her eyes. "He's fine." Rick explained quickly. "We found a small house in the woods. Daryl wanted to stay the night before we brought you and the rest of the group. Make sure it's safe." Carol let out a relieved breath and closed her eyes. She opened them again and took a step forward.

"Don't you _ever _scare me like that again, Rick Grimes!" She hissed, hitting him in the chest and making him stumble backwards. She took another deep breath. "You left him in the woods? Alone?"

"We tried to convince him to come back." Glenn said.

"He wanted to make sure it was safe." Carl added.

"Well we have to go to him then." Carol said.

"We'll head out in the morning." Rick explained.

"We're not leaving him out there alone!" Carol argued.

"Carol," Lori began. "If anyone can survive in the woods alone, it's Daryl."

"He isn't superman." Carol said bitterly. "He isn't indestructible. He's one man against an army of walkers. We need to go tonight."

"It's too dark out now." Rick said. Carol groaned.

"Then I'll go alone!" She turned to head to the house when Rick grabbed her arm.

"You ain't gonna find it on your own." He told her.

"I'll go with her." They all looked at Carl. Rick and Lori both opened their mouths to protest and he cut them off. "I know how to get there. I drove. Me and Daryl know these woods pretty well. I'll take Carol. I won't be alone. Besides, if it's safe for Daryl to be alone, then the three of us should be okay." His parents looked nervously at each other.

"Carl-"

"Please?" Carl interrupted again. "Daryl and Carol will take good care of me. Just like when we did the run."

"I'll go with too." T-Dog said, stepping towards them. Rick and Lori looked a bit more relaxed.

"Fine." Rick said at last. "But you do everything Carol tells you, understand?" Carl nodded. "Now go get your stuff."

~X~

Daryl stood on the deck outside of the cabin. He'd only seen two walkers and that's when he was walking the perimeter. None of the walkers ventured towards the house since he'd been there.

He'd told the others he wanted to stay behind and clear the area. Make sure it was safe to bring a pregnant woman and kids. That was only half true. In reality, he wanted time to think. Think about how easily he could've died. How easily he would've left the world behind. Left the people he cared about. Or more specifically, one person.

He needed to focus on survival, not the woman smothering his thoughts almost every second of the day. Except, having her around was now part of his survival. Not that she was walker bait, like Merle used to call her and a few others. She was stronger now, could hold her own. He was proud of her for that. Except she was so much more to him than another group member, but he didn't know how much more. She'd always been his friend, he supposed, but he'd never given it much thought. To him she'd always just been Carol. Carol summed up everything she'd ever been. The morning that she'd kissed him replayed in his head. He liked how the kiss felt. It made him feel more than anything else had. It made him feel alive. He'd do it again in a heart beat. He sighed, knowing it wouldn't happen. To her, he'd always just be Daryl.

Head lights flashed before him and he quickly raised his bow. The truck came to a stop and Daryl aimed to shoot, just as Carol stepped from the passenger seat. He gave a small smirk before firing. Carol let out a small scream as the arrow landed at her feet. She sent an angry glare to Daryl, who laughed at her.

"Next time, don't sneak up on me." He called, coming down the stairs towards them. "What are ya doin here?"

"Carol was worried about you bein alone." T-Dog explained. Daryl raised an eyebrow.

"You're alone in a forest of walkers, a long way from camp. It was justifiable." She defended. He shook his head at her.

"Okay. Whatever. There's four bedrooms in the house, so we'll have to figure out how-"

"Oh, hell yeah!" T-Dog yelled, interrupting Daryl. "Finally! Bout time I got first pick of rooms!" They all laughed as T-Dog rushed to the house.

"That's the only reason you came, isn't it?" Carol called after him. He just sent a smile their way before disappearing into the house.

"Now that Brent's gone, I suppose I'm back to sharing with my parents." Carl sighed, following T. Daryl was surprised to see that Carol had packed all his things as well, as they brought their things into the house. There was a room downstairs with a bed and a couch that Carol and Daryl chose. It was small, but comfy. They unpacked and settled in as T-Dog took over Daryl's watch.


	30. Settling In

**_A/N: so I hope you all got my update for the last chapter. Fanfiction had a spaz attack and didn't send emails, so if you're suppose to get updates you probably didn't. Sorry for the problem. :/_**

"Carol?" She heard the door creep open and she opened her eyes. Daryl grumbled in his sleep next to her as she sat up. Carl stood in the doorway, looking nervous.

"What is it, dear?" Carol asked tiredly.

"Could I maybe sleep in here?" He asked. Carol gave him a warm smile and climbed from her bed. She grabbed an extra blanket and pillow and laid them on the couch, motioning for Carl to lie down. He obeyed, and she covered him with the blanket. She sat down next to him and he laid his head on her lap. She stroked his dark hair, trying to relieve the tenseness in his muscles.

"Couldn't you sleep?" She asked gently. He shook his head.

"I don't like being alone." He confessed. "I have nightmares." She saw, even in the dark, his cheeks flush a light red.

"I think we all have nightmares, Carl. Even Daryl. But he'd kill me if he knew I told you that." She explained., he laughed lightly. "I used to have them, after Sophia died." She swallowed hard, not wanting to talk about the dreams.

"How do you get rid of them?" He asked. Carol thought for a moment.

"I guess you can't." She said finally. "You just have to find a reason to be brave again, and fight against them." Carol glanced at the sleeping Daryl with a small smile. She looked back to Carl to see he'd fallen asleep. She lifted his head from her lap and rested it on the pillow. She kissed his head before returning to her own bed. She laid next to Daryl, snuggling into his chest.

"Damn right I'll kill ya if you tell anyone that again." He growled in her ear. She saw a smirk on his face and she laughed. He draped his arm around her waist and drifted off to sleep. Once Carol knew he was asleep, she rose her head and planted a light kiss on Daryl's cheek.

"Thank you, Daryl." She whispered with a smile. With that, she drifted off to sleep as well.

~X~

Rick and the rest of the group showed up early the next morning. Carol was already awake and making breakfast when they pulled up. She quickly woke up Daryl and they left Carl to sleep on the couch.

"Where's Carl?" Was the first thing Lori asked when she climbed from the van.

"He's asleep. He was up late." Carol replied, taking a box of supplies from Beth.

"I hope he wasn't any trouble." Rick said. Carol smiled at him and shook her head.

"Hershel!" T-Dog called, coming from the house. "I snagged a room with two beds. You can bunk with me if you wanna." Hershel smiled gratefully and followed T-Dog.

"Lori, Carl and I will take the room upstairs with the couch." Rick said, leading Lori inside.

"Glenn, there's another bedroom upstairs for you and Maggie." Carol said. They smiled appreciatively at her and headed for the house.

"How about me?" Daryl and Carol turned to Beth. All the beds were taken, and Carl was already sentenced to sleeping on the couch in Rick and Lori's room.

"We have a pull out couch in our room." Carol offered.

"I don't wanna be any trouble-"

"It's fine." Daryl grumbled, cutting her off. "You and Carol can share the bed, I'll take the couch." Carol looked at him sadly, but didn't argue. She knew Beth would be more comfortable on the bed anyway.

~X~

They were sitting in the living room of the house. They were discussing their next move and where they'd go. Carol was still bitter about leaving the last place. She hated moving, it was exhausting for all of them, especially Lori. Neither Beth, Lori, or Carol offered any ideas, or benefits to the group, so they all sat on the couch, furthest from the men and Maggie.

"I hate not knowing how to help." Beth said sadly. Lori nodded in agreement. Carol made no comment, she was instead listening to the conversation.

"Well goin this way is no good." Rick said, pointing to an area on the map they'd laid on the coffee table. "This town has been overrun. We've went there on runs before."

"Well how about here?" Hershel pointed to another area. "It's farther off, into the trees so walkers won't be near it."

"Yeah, 'cept the walkers will be all over in them woods by now. They've run out of city food." Daryl grumbled. Carol sighed.

"If think if we go to that town that me, Carl and Daryl went to for the run, it'd be our best bet." Carol whispered to Beth and Lori. "There's a ton of shelter there, plus supplies. All that stuff we brought back was just from one floor of the mall. There were hardly any walkers there." Beth and Lori only stared at her, before Lori stood up.

"What about the town Carl, Carol and Daryl went to?" She said. All the men and Maggie turned to look at her. "You guys said yourself that there weren't many walkers. And there's plenty of shelter and supplies." Beth frowned next to Carol, but she remained silent.

"That actually makes sense." Glenn said.

"It was Carol's idea." Lori admitted. All eyes turned to Carol and she blushed. She looked to Daryl, who gave her a stiff nod, making her feel much better.

"So, the plan is stay here for another night, maybe two. Then we head to the city." Rick explained. They all nodded.

"It's a long drive." Daryl said. "We can't take all the vehicles." Rick thought for a moment.

"We'll take the van, and the SUV." He finally said.

"Me and Carol will ride on the motorcycle." Daryl added. Rick didn't argue and Daryl and Carol exchanged a smile before they broke up their meeting to eat.

~X~

"I really hope you're both okay with this." Beth said softly as her and Carol pulled out the couch bed. Daryl was on watch, so Carol figured they could make his bed so it'd be ready. She knew he wouldn't even bother pulling the bed out otherwise.

"It's no problem, sweet heart." Carol said warmly. They finished making the bed for Daryl and then both laid down on their own bed. Beth let out a yawn and Carol couldn't help but yawn also. "Get some rest, dear." Carol said. She leaned over and gave Beth a kiss on the forehead. Beth smiled and crawled under the covers, drifting off to sleep quickly.

Carol didn't pay attention to how long she laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling and playing with the bracelet on her wrist. She was wide awake, but didn't know why. She wanted nothing more than to drift into the peaceful abyss that was sleep, but she couldn't do it. She sighed in frustration, turning onto her side. She laid for a bit longer until the door opened. Carol closed her eyes quickly, pretending to be asleep as Daryl walked in. His heavy footsteps seemed to drag across the floor and she knew he was tired. She listened as he rested his crossbow against the wall and plopped himself onto the couch.

Carol waited until Daryl fell asleep, and his breathing became even before she sat up in her bed. She glanced at Beth before slipping out of the bed and walking to Daryl's side of the room. She pulled back the blanket and laid down next to him, his arm instinctively going around her waist. She smiled.

"If you were cold, you could've just taken the blanket." He mumbled tiredly. She laughed lightly and he smiled. They were quiet for a bit, before she spoke.

"I found out why I love this blue so much." She whispered, playing with the gem on her bracelet once more.

"Hmm?" He was on the brink of sleep and she knew he probably wouldn't hear what she said, but she said it anyway.

"It's the color of your eyes." She whispered. He didn't reply, so he must've been sleeping. So, with a smile on her face, Carol snuggled closer to him and drifted to sleep as well.


	31. Roommates

"It's the color of your eyes." She whispered. He didn't reply. He didn't know how to. The thought that the bracelet was related to him in anyway besides the fact he'd given it to her hadn't crossed his mind. She snuggled into his chest, falling asleep quickly. He waited until her breathing was even before he opened his eyes. Her head was tucked under his chin, her short hair tickling his jaw. He thought about what she said.

Daryl couldn't even remember what color his eyes were anymore. He couldn't remember most of what he even looked like. The few times they stayed in a house, he didn't remember even looking in a mirror. Most of the others probably hadn't either. He frowned, not liking the thought that Carol probably didn't remember what she looked like, because she looked nothing like she used to. She was thinner, obviously, and her hair had grown a bit. More than that, though, she was different all together. She had a new gleam in her eyes, the determination to live, and to survive.

Carol moved in her sleep, laying on her back, her side against his chest. Daryl saw the smile on her face and he couldn't help but smile too. He instinctively pulled her closer to him, like he often did in his sleep when he felt she was too far away. Her smile seemed to grow and he smirked. She shifted again so her back was to him. He couldn't help but notice how well they fit together. They were never too close for comfort. He paused at that thought.

When the hell did Daryl Dixon become comfortable with being close? He couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of anger towards Carol. It didn't last, it was gone as soon as it'd come, but it was there. She'd pulled him from the shell he'd sheltered himself in, the walls he'd built she'd crushed. He pushed her away and she pushed back, knowing that it was better for him to be more open. She was right, he had to admit. It was nice, easier, to not be afraid. To not flinch every time Rick patted him on the back, or pull back immediately when his and Beth's finger's touched as she handed him a plate of food. He liked knowing that Rick and Glenn and T had his back, unlike they had Merle's when they left him in Atlanta. He suddenly felt a wave of regret for his brother, he should've tried harder to find him.

If he'd found Merle, though, would he be with Carol now? Sharing a bed with her? Letting himself be close to her, physically and emotionally? Probably not. He silently thanked Rick. Thanked him for freeing him from his brother. Merle was tough as nails, and Daryl knew deep down that his brother was alive. He was happy for that, but even happier that his brother wasn't entirely his problem anymore. He felt slightly regret at the thought, but let it go instantly as Carol mumbled in her sleep next to him. He smiled. Being with her was definitely better.

~X~

Daryl didn't remember falling asleep. He remembered thinking about a million different things before falling asleep, but falling asleep alone, he didn't recall. He woke up to knocking on the door and he grumbled out some reply, feeling Carol rise next to him.

"Bethie?" It was Maggie. "Me and Glenn are makin a run to the nearest town. You mentioned you needed some things, did you wanna ride along?" Daryl opened his eyes, seeing Carol sitting up next to him, wiping her eyes. He looked over at Beth, her face was buried in the pillow.

"Yeah!" She called back, her voice muffled. "I'll be out in a minute!" They heard Maggie walk away and Daryl rolled onto his back, stretching. Beth groaned, sitting up. Her cheeks grew red immediately as she laid eyes on the two of them.

"Oh!" Beth quickly looked away, realizing she was in the middle of the bed. She looked apologetically at Carol. "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't hog the bed." Carol smiled.

"You're fine, dear." Carol said tiredly. "I… uh… Thought you'd be more comfortable with a bed to yourself for once. Beth nodded and climbed from the bed.

"Well, I'll see you later." She grabbed some clothes and hurried from the room. Carol sighed and laid back on the bed, laughing softly. She looked at Daryl, who laid next to her propped up on one elbow.

"They all think we're sleeping together." She said. "You know that, right?" He nodded.

"So, why not prove them right?" He asked. She stared at him for a moment, debating whether or not he was serious. He reached over and pinched her side lightly, making her jump away and giggle.

"Don't do that." She laughed, playfully hitting his arm. He smiled and laid down again. She scooted closer to him, resting her head on his chest.

~X~

"You ready to go?" Maggie asked, peeking into the bathroom where Beth was changing. Beth gathered her clothes and nodded. Maggie raised an eyebrow at Beth's red cheeks. "You okay?" Beth nodded, looking at the ground. "Beth-"

"It's no big deal." Beth interrupted. "I knew that Daryl and Carol were a thing, just seeing it was weird." Maggie's eyes got wide.

"What the hell did they do?" She asked, worriedly. Beth's eyes got wide too, realizing what her sister thought she meant.

"No!" She said quickly. "Not like that! I mean they were just laying on the couch. Nothing happened. Just seeing Daryl with anyone is weird." Maggie sighed and laughed a little.

"Yes. Romantic Daryl is weird." She agreed. "But he's good for Carol."

"He got her a bracelet." Beth said. "Probably the same day Carl got my necklace." She said, touching the pendant that rested on her chest lightly.

"What? How do you know?"

"She was talking about it last night. She thought I was asleep. I don't think she even realized she was talking out loud." Beth said with a small guilty smile. "I didn't mean to be nosey. I just couldn't sleep. And I didn't have the heart to tell her to shut up. She finally did when Daryl came in. I fell asleep shortly after that."

"Shortly after we left the farm, and we were staying in the tents, Glenn and my tent were next to Carol's." Maggie said. "That was before Daryl and her were together. She used to talk in her sleep a lot. I don't think Glenn ever heard it, but she really did talk a lot." Beth groaned.

"So I have to listen to her talk every night?" Maggie laughed.

"I'm surprised Daryl puts up with it." Maggie added, throwing her arm around her sister and leading her out of the bathroom to do their run.

_**A/N: Alright, so this got kinda shorter than planned, but to be completely honest, I didn't have an insane plan for this. We're getting closer to the prison, but this is sort of a filler until the previous season 3 episodes are back on so I remember what the heck happened. I have to admit that some of these characters are hard for me to write. T-Dog and Maggie being the main 2. I'm not sure why, but I can't seem to get their characters right, so that's why I don't write them much. I apologize for the lack of T-Dog and Maggie's presence. Anyway, I hope you're all still liking the story. Don't forget to review. Love. ~Helen**_


	32. Skipping Stones

By Carol's best judgment, it was about noon by the time she and Daryl got out of bed. After Beth had left, they'd laid awake, speaking very little, just quietly thinking. At one point they'd both fallen back asleep, only waking again when Lori came looking for Carol. By then they were about as rested as they could be and got up.

Glenn, Maggie, and Beth hadn't returned yet. T-Dog was sleeping from his late night watch. Hershel and Lori were having a private check up, which they did about once a week. Rick and Carl stood watch on the deck that wrapped around the house. Carol busied herself with laundry, taking advantage of the warm weather. She was hanging the laundry on the clothes line she'd strung between the house and a tree when Daryl walked up to her.

"Hey." He grunted, leaning against the tree. She gave him a smile. "You need help?" He asked. She paused and raised an eyebrow.

"Daryl Dixon wants to help me with laundry?" She asked. He shrugged.

"Nothin else to do." He complained. She laughed.

"Go take Carl tracking." She suggested.

"Nah. He needs time with his dad." Daryl said. Carol didn't argue. Carl didn't have a hell of a lot of time with his dad _before_ the world went to shit, let alone afterwards.

"Then let's walk." She offered. "I'll hang these last few things up and we'll go."

"Where?" He asked. "The woods? Not with all the walkers."

"We'll be fine, Daryl." She argued, hands on her hips. "There'll be two of us. We won't go far. Besides, change of scenery is nice." He sighed, his boredom finally overcoming his better judgment.

"Fine." He agreed. "I'll go grab a gun for ya, just in case." She didn't bother to tell him it was it wasn't necessary. The man was gonna do what he wanted to, no matter what she said.

"Rick!" Carol called, walking to the deck. She shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked up at him. "Daryl and I are going for a walk."

"Don't go far." He warned. She nodded and walked away. She met Daryl outside the front door, he handed her a gun that she tucked into the back of her pants.

"Ready?" He asked. She nodded. "Stay close to me."

~X~

They were walking away from the house, probably farther than they should've dared. The trees were growing their leaves back and the grass was returning to its natural green, and Carol couldn't resist being farther into the depths of the woods. Daryl happily trailed behind her, laughing as she hopped on top of a large rock and spun in a circle. She smile broadly, and he could tell she was soaking up the sun as much as she could. Carol was never one to truly like the indoors, just like him. She felt free outside, not confined by walls, with only a glass window between her and the land. She was like a child when she got outside, and Daryl could relate. He'd escape the house as often as possible before all this, the trees and grass his sanctuary from his druggie brother, drunken mother, and abusive father.

They'd reached a river, one that Daryl knew was close by. Carol led him directly to it, and he was glad she did. They stood side by side, staring into the impossibly clear water as it reflected the sky above them. Carol knelt next to the water's edge, dipping her hands in the cool water. Daryl knew that if the water hadn't been so cold, Carol would've jumped in during her excitement. Daryl was glad it was so cold, because he knew he would've jumped in with her. Carol picked up a stone from the bank and skipped it, watching it as it bounced off the water perfectly four separate time. Daryl watched her as she skipped stone, after stone, after stone. She turned to him after a while, holding a smooth rock out to him. He shook his head.

"I can't." He said, realizing how pathetic it sounded. She raised an eyebrow. "I can't skip rocks." He admitted. She smirked.

"Something Daryl Dixon can't do?" She asked. "The world must be ending."

"The world has ended." He replied dryly. She shook her head.

"Maybe the world is just beginning." Before he could reply she walked to him, taking his hand and pulling him to the water's edge. "It's simple, I'll show you. Hold the rock like this." She curved her index finger around the stone, fitting it neatly between her finger and thumb, it curved perfectly into her hand. She drew back her arm and tossed the rock into the water where it skipped three times.

"You try." Carol handed him another rock. He looked unsurely at her, but she gave him an encouraging nod. He fit the rock in his hand like she'd done, then with a swing of his arm he released it, were it plopped into the water.

"Told you." Daryl mumbled.

"You did it wrong."

"I held it the way you said." He argued. She shook her head.

"Not that. Don't throw it. Flick it." She picked up another rock. "Use your wrist, not your arm." He watched her arm go back, and her wrist flick forward and the rock skipped. He sighed when she handed him another rock.

"This ain't gonna work." He said, discouraged. She didn't comment, but stepped behind him, taking his hand and moving his wrist the way she'd explained.

"Just like this." She said softly. He realized how close she was and he immediately felt the urge to step away, but fought it. He nodded and did as instructed, the rock skimming the water and skipping twice. He smirked and turned to her to see her smiling brightly.

"Got it." He said. "I saved the world from ending." She laughed and rolled her eyes.

"All praise Daryl Dixon." She said sarcastically. "He's saved the world again."

"Again?" He asked. Her face became serious suddenly.

"Well, you know." She moved to go around him, but he stepped in front of her. She looked up at him. Her cheeks, he noticed, were a faint pink.

"No. I don't." He mused. "Enlighten me." She rolled her eyes.

"Let it go, Daryl."

"I won't, Carol." She moved to go around him, and when he moved to stop her she went the opposite way, making it around him. He spun as she hopped onto a rock on the bank. It was a large flat rock that stuck out from the ground into the water. She turned to look at him.

"I win." She smiled.

"Carol, get off of there." He said. She rolled her eyes again.

"I'm not that clumsy, Daryl." She said. "I'm not going to fall."

"I didn't mean you're going to fall." He replied, a smirk growing on his face. "I mean I'm going to push you."

"You wouldn't-" Before she could finish he'd already moved towards her, causing her eyes to widen. He stepped onto the rock as she jumped from it, aiming for the shore but coming short and landing in the water, stumbling forward. Daryl reached to catch her, but ended up falling into the water next to her.

The water was shallow, but enough to get them wet when it splashed during their landing. Daryl's muscles tensed slightly at the cold as it met his skin, and he immediately pushed himself up. He was laying on his side in the water, Carol propped up on her elbows next to him, her eyes wide. On of his arms was on the other side of her, where it landed as he tried to catch himself. He froze realizing he was practically laying on top of Carol.

"I wasn't going to actually push you." He grumbled, looking down at the water instead of at her. He could hear her teeth chattering from the cold, but neither of them moved.

"I didn't really think you would." She said softly. He looked up at her, meeting her clear blue eyes. They sat like that for a minute, not saying anything.

"Why do you always end up in the water?" He asked finally, breaking the silence. She smiled.

"Why are you always around when it happens?" She asked. They grew silent again, forgetting about the water, and the cold, focusing on the other person, only inches away.

"Carol, what did you mean?" He asked. "I saved the world again?" He wasn't sure why he found this the appropriate time to ask the question, or why it even bothered him. It took him a minute to realize that he knew what she meant, but needed to hear her say it. When she didn't reply for a minute, he sighed and moved to get off of her, pausing only when she grabbed his arm.

"Because you save my world everyday." She said quietly. Her cheeks blushed a light pink and he didn't reply. Instead he let his guard down, forgot his boundaries and moved forward to kiss her. She didn't push him away, like he'd expected her to do. Didn't tell him no, or try to move away. Instead she wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him to her.

The kiss lasted longer than their first, tasted sweeter, and left them both in a daze. Reluctantly they both pulled away, looking at the other, their expressions mirroring each other. Then, both of them moved closer again for another kiss, pulling the other closer as if they were one being.

A rustling in the trees made them pull apart again and look in the direction of the sound. Daryl growled angrily and pushed himself off of Carol, grabbing the crossbow he'd left on the bank. He angrily pointed in the direction of approaching footsteps, swearing that whatever it was, walker or animal, he was going to shoot it right between the eyes. What he didn't expect was Carl, with Rick close behind.

"There you are." Rick said, obvious relief in his voice. "I though I told you to stay close." He looked to Carol, who'd finally climbed from the water and was standing next to Daryl.

"Why are you all wet?" Carl asked, before either of them could say a word.

"Carol fell." Daryl said quickly. He could feel her glare on him and he didn't look at her.

"We need to go back." Rick said. "Glenn and the others are back. They found something." Without another word, Rick turned and began walking, obviously expecting them to follow. Which they did.

Daryl snuck a quick glance at the woman next to him, feeling the same feeling he had when she'd kissed him before. He felt like a fool when she caught his eye and gave him a smile and he returned it, secretly hoping that this wouldn't be their last kiss.

**_A/N: So I'm not gonna lie I'm mega nervous about this chapter! I'm so worried that it's out of character. I'm going to go hide under a rock for awhile. Please review so I can maybe feel better. Or worse I guess, depending on the review. Love. ~Helen_**


	33. Confusion

_**A/N: I want to give a huge thank you to Haitus80, KellieCat93, Halodoll89, Llamaliscious234, and Rilakumacafe for making me feel a thousand times better! Your reviews were all great and made me breathe a bit easier. So thank you a thousand times over. Here's is my next chapter, which is again a little bit of a filler before the prison. I'll update again on Walking Dead Day (Obviously you'll get two chapters that day). I can't believe it's going to be over! I'm dying inside at the thought. Anyway, here's your chapter, sorry for the shortness. Love. ~Helen**_

Carol walked in silence, a grin never fading from her face. She stared at the ground, avoiding Carl's confused glances between the two, and Daryl's casual glance. She resisted every impulse in her body to reach out an touch Daryl, craving the feel of him. She was angry at Rick and Carl for interrupting them, for ruining their moment. However, she couldn't find it in herself to be mad at them for much longer than a few seconds at a time, because every time she thought about it, her mind went back the river with Daryl. She'd forgot about the coldness of the water, even though her body had nearly grown numb from the chill. She'd forgotten about the aching of her hip, where it landed harshly when she fell. She instead relished the kiss. Something she never thought Daryl would do was kiss her first. He'd never make the first move, but he did. There's no way it was a dream, as she was sure it was at first. She'd had many dreams about her and Daryl, some that made her blush intensely at the mere thought of, but none had left her in such bliss as that kiss had.

"Smile a bit more, I don't think Rick has caught on yet." Daryl grumbled quietly. She blinked and looked up, realizing her and Daryl had fallen farther back from Rick and Carl. She looked up at him, the smirk on his face making her smile more.

"Sorry." Carol replied, not truly sincere. She didn't banish the smile, instead she widened it. Daryl rolled his eyes and picked up his pace a bit to catch up to the others. Carol couldn't help but glance over her shoulder. They were too far from the water for her to see it, but she hadn't expected to. She didn't want to leave it, really. She could've stayed all day, but where would they have ended up if Rick and Carl hadn't shown? Surely Daryl would've come to his senses and pushed her away. He probably found no sincere interest in her, other than she was the only available woman besides Beth.

That thought had her smile fading instantly. Glancing up at Daryl, she hoped that it wasn't true. Would that kiss have even happened if she weren't the only woman? If Andrea was still around? Or if Beth was of proper age? Carol dreaded the idea of Beth drawing Daryl's eyes from her, or him finding Andrea a more worthy woman of his interest. She continued to look at Daryl, secretly wishing that he'd look at her and confirm or deny her suspicions. If he was using her as a play thing, something he could entertain himself with, she needed to know now, before her own feelings could grow into something that couldn't be reciprocated.

They reached the house, far sooner than seemed normal. It felt to Carol that she and Daryl had walked for a million years before reaching that river, but here they were at the edge of the clearing and Carol frowned. She wasn't done thinking yet, she wasn't ready for social interaction before she could get her own ideas and feelings in order. The first person she saw was Lori, and she prayed that Lori couldn't see the confusion swimming in her eyes.

They walked into the house and headed straight for the living room. The men crowded around a map laid out on the coffee table, while Lori, Carol, and Beth sat again on the couch. Carol shook off Lori and Beth's looks of confusion as she took her seat, staring at her hands and ignoring their glances. When they were all together and focused, Glenn finally stood from his chair and began to speak.

"So, we found a prison."


	34. Distance

_**A/N: Hey guys. So I hope this is better than I feel it is. We're getting into season three so I wanted a bit of intro to it before a whole bunch of stuff happens. To me this chapter feels jumpy and choppy and I'm sorry for that. ill make up for it tonight with the second chapter. Happy Walking Dead Day!**_

"So, we found a prison." Glenn began.

"Congratulations." Daryl said sarcastically, obviously not realizing the intensity in which Glenn made this seem. T-Dog snickered next to him. Glenn rolled his eyes before continuing.

"It isn't far. Just across the river. It's off the main road a few miles, surrounded by the trees." Glenn pointed to a general area on the map. "There's fences, good ones. Secure. Mostly filled in by walkers, but they can be easily taken care of. It's big, there's room enough for everyone. Plus, there has to be weapons. Food."

"So what are you saying?" T-Dog asked. "You want us to break _into_ prison?"

"I want us to live in it." Glenn replied simply.

"Genius." Rick commented, before the others could say anything. "Walkers aren't a problem for us anymore. The walls are sturdy, the fences are perfect."

"There's guard towers." Maggie added. "Watch would be a hell of a lot easier."

"We can clear out a cell block." Rick continued. "Secure it off. There'd be plenty of room, we could create a permanent home."

"Or at least stay until the baby is delivered." Hershel spoke up. "It isn't good for Lori to be traveling so much in her condition."

"I think it's brilliant." Lori said with a smile. Daryl looked at the three women on the couch. Lori and Beth looked convinced about the prison. Carol, however, didn't seem to be paying attention. She was staring off, at something that wasn't there. Her eyebrows were drawn together in confusion, her lips were set in a straight line and her eyes were narrowed in thought. He could see the thoughts swimming behind her eyes and he hoped they weren't bad thoughts, but he couldn't exactly ask her now.

"So we go to the prison." Rick said, drawing back Daryl's attention. "I'll go tomorrow, scope it out."

"I'll go with." Glenn offered. "Been there already, I know the quickest route. Maggie can come too."

"Count me in." Daryl added. "I'll be damned if I sit around here all day with nothin to do." Rick nodded.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow, Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, Carl and I will go to the prison."

~X~

"Carol?" Daryl hoped she wasn't asleep just yet. It'd taken Beth awhile to fall asleep, and Daryl waited a little bit after her breathing regulated before speaking. Carol hadn't came to his bed, at least not yet. He wasn't sure if she was waiting for Beth to sleep or not.

"Hmm?" She replied simply. He should've known she wasn't sleeping yet.

"You okay?" He asked. She didn't reply, but he heard her slide off the bed and her footsteps grew closer to him. He watched her silhouette sit on the edge of his bed and she looked at him.

"I'm fine." She said simply. She laid down next to him, but not touching him. He frowned, unsure what was the matter with her. She didn't say a word and he immediately began to worry. Maybe he'd crossed the line at the river, took a step beyond the comfort zone for both of them. Even if it was something he enjoyed, maybe it scared her, maybe she was wishing it'd never happened. He silently cursed himself, realizing the huge mistake he'd made.

Was it really all his fault though? Wasn't she partially to blame? She's the one who made him care, made him open up, and feel again. It was her fault that his chest now ached at the thought of losing her. He could've kicked himself then.

Daryl Dixon had always known better, had always known that the only one good enough for him was himself. Carol was going to hurt him in the end because he'd been stupid enough to care about her. He had to distance himself, he decided it then. He couldn't let her be his downfall.

~X~

"Carol!" The panic in Daryl's voice had her awake immediately. Her eyes flew open and she sat up. Daryl was at the edge of the bed, throwing clothes and random items into a bag.

"Daryl?" She asked, looking nervously at him.

"Get the hell up!" He snapped. "Beth!" He barked, kicking the bed, Beth sat up instantly, looking as alert as Carol.

"What the hell, Daryl?" Carol asked harshly.

"There's a god damned herd of walkers comin this way," He said, throwing a bag at the two girls. "and you two are trying to catch up on beauty sleep!" Beth and Carol were out of bed instantly, throwing supplies and whatever else they could get their hands on into bags.

"We need to move, now!" Rick yelled, appearing in the doorway. He was only there for a second before taking off up the stairs. Carol reached to Beth, taking her by the hand and pulling her out of the bedroom. They followed behind Daryl, meeting the others in the entry way.

"The food!" Carl yelled, making a quick dash to the kitchen, but Lori grabbed him before he could get far.

"There's no time!" Rick shouted, running to the door. "Get to the vehicles!" He opened the door, shooting a walker that was just outside. They all took off in a mad sprint, Daryl, Rick and T-Dog taking the lead. Carl, Maggie, Hershel and Glenn brought up the rear, keeping Beth, Lori and Carol secured in between them all. Carol grasped Beth and Lori's hands tightly, keeping a close eye on Daryl as he moved in front of her.

Walkers poured from the woods in almost every direction, threatening to close in on them at a suffocating rate. Once they reached the vehicles, Glenn climbed into the truck, pulling Maggie and Hershel with him. T-Dog jumped into the bed of the truck, dispatching a walker with a pipe he carried.

Rick opened the door of the van, where Lori and Carl piled in. Carol gave Beth a light push, coxing her into the last open seat. Beth gave Carol a frightened look before Carol closed the door, making sure that Hershel saw she was safe. An arrow flew past Carol's head, hitting a walker next to her.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed, woman?" Daryl barked. The other cars began to pull away as Daryl grabbed Carol's wrist and pulled her to his bike. They both climbed on and Carol pulled out her gun, shooting a nearby walker.

~X~

Carol waited outside the house anxiously, with Hershel, Beth and Lori by her side. They'd made it from the walkers safely, but left most of their most valuable supplies behind, including most of the food, ammo, and medical equipment. Rick, Glenn, Maggie, Carl, T-Dog and Daryl had just went into a house that Glenn had led them to. It was an old house, falling apart and Carol worried it'd cave in on them all.

"It's clear." Rick said, coming from the house and motioning them inside. They grabbed the supplies that they had left and entered the house. They sat in the old living room, scavenging through their bags, looking for nourishment to their growling stomachs. Carl had entered the room again, two cans of what was soon confirmed as dog food in his grasp. They all watched the boy as he began to open the cans, all curious as to if they were desperate enough to eat the dog food.

No one spoke a word as Rick took the food from Carl and threw it at a wall. Carol glanced nervously at Lori, who looked exhausted. Next she looked at Daryl, who didn't speak, instead contently plucked the feathers from an owl he'd found upstairs. They all sat, practically motionless until motionless until T-Dog motioned out the window. The herd of walkers had found them.

With an exasperated sigh, Carol grabbed her things and followed the others from the house. Glenn, Maggie, Hershel and Beth crammed into the pickup with T-Dog once again in the back. Rick and Lori slid into the van as Carl hopped in the back seat. Carol looked immediately to Daryl, who was already seated on his bike. She watched for a moment, as he kicked the bike to life and began to pull away, leading the caravan away from the house and walkers. With the small sting of hurt inside her, Carol climbed into the van next to Carl.


	35. The Prison

_**A/N: So, season finale was good. I won't give anything away, but I thought it was decent. I expected a bit more of a cliffhanger, but I'll live. Here's the next chapter. Happy Walking Dead Day. Love. ~Helen**_

Daryl, Rick and Glenn walked to the prison, leaving the others behind on the road. Lori sat alone in the van, and Carol left her to her own thoughts. Maggie was holding onto Beth and they were talking to Hershel, while T-Dog stood watch on the back of the truck. Carol sat next to T-Dog, with Carl next to her. She knew Carl would never admit it, but he was scared. He was worried about where'd they'd go, and if they'd all make it there safely. He worried about his mom and the baby, and his dad. Carol felt bad for him, a kid his age shouldn't have to worry so much, but there he sat, staring silently, leaning against Carol and taking comfort in the fact she was there for him.

"Here they come." T-Dog sat, motioning up the road. Carol turned to see Daryl, Rick and Glenn making their way back to them. Rick and Glenn were grinning happily, while Daryl seemed at least semi-happy. Lori finally got out of the car, and walked over and stood next to the truck. She reached over, placing her hand on Carl's head and pulling him towards her and away from Carol. With a frown, Carol jumped from the truck. She moved to stand next to Daryl, but he walked past her to his motorcycle.

Carol felt as if she could be sick. The three people she looked to the most in the group were suddenly on the opposite side of the circle as her. She stood alone, her arms wrapped around herself as Carl and Lori held onto each other, and Daryl sat on the tailgate of the truck twirling an arrow between his fingers. She caught his eye and gave a small smile. He didn't return the smile, or acknowledge it, instead he looked away. Carol frowned and looked down at her shoes.

"The prison is what we thought it'd be." Rick said with a smile. "They'll be plenty of room for us. We can take the yard by nightfall."

"We'll sleep outside?" Lori asked.

"Just one night." Daryl replied. "That ain't below your standards, is it, princess? Seemed like lying on the ground was your favorite position for awhile." Carol bit back the laugh in her throat as Lori's face turned to outrage and she stormed back to the van.

"Daryl!" Maggie snapped at him. He rolled his eyes and brushed off her tone. Rick, unsure of what else to do, continued on with what he was saying.

"We need to move though. We can't waste all day here."

"The herd is gonna catch up soon." Glenn added. With a nod, Rick led Carl to the van. They all got in their cars, leaving Carol standing alone, looking nervously at all of their retreating figures.

"Woman!" Daryl yelled. A spark of hope had Carol turn to him. "Get the hell on." He motioned behind him, inviting her to sit. She happily obeyed, a smile creeping onto her face. "Don't look so damn happy about it." He muttered, revving the engine and following Rick.

~X~

"You okay?" Rick asked. Lori hadn't said a word since they go into the van. Carl and Beth talked silently in the back, not paying attention to the couple.

"Fine." Lori said. Rick could see tears slowly trailing down her face.

"Lori-"

"I've tried." She said angrily. "I've tried, to be the wife you need. The mother Carl deserves. I've done what I can to regain your trust, Rick." More tears poured from her eyes. "I don't need to earn Daryl Dixon's trust or approval. And I sure as hell don't need his smart ass remarks."

"He's going through some things." Rick replied. "I ain't defending his actions, or sayin their right. But we gotta remember that."

"Goin through what?" Lori snapped. "Him and Carol ain't so cozy any more? Maybe she finally realized what a jackass he is."

"Daryl is a good man." Rick defended. "Probably one of the best I've ever met."

"You thought that about Shane." Lori replied bitterly. "You really know how to pick 'em, Rick." Rick didn't reply and Lori sighed. "I'll talk to Carol about him."

"What's Carol gonna do?" Rick asked. "She ain't his mother. She ain't gonna control his mouth."

"She's the only one he listens to." Lori replied. Rick thought about that for a minute before responding.

"That may be true." Rick agreed. "But Carol's one woman, and Daryl isn't so easily swayed."

"Maybe she should sleep with him." Lori grumbled. "He'd listen then."

"Is that your method, Lori?" Rick commented. "Work for you in the past, did it?" Lori didn't reply, and their conversation ended there. Finally they reached the prison, and everyone pulled over outside the fence. The all looked at the prison in amazement, and Rick, for the first time in a long while, felt a bit of hope growing inside of him.


	36. Clearing The Yard

Carol followed Daryl as the group spit up. Rick was completely crazy if he thought he could just run into the field of walkers and survive, but someone had to. Honestly, Carol was glad it wasn't Daryl doing the running. Daryl held the door open for her and she rushed in and up the stairs, pulling open the next door. She didn't expect a walker to jump at her. With a gasp Carol backed up, right into Daryl. He quickly dispatched the walker with a knife and pulled Carol into the tower. She let out a relieved breath.

"You trying to get yourself killed?" He asked, obviously irritated at her lack of cautiousness.

"Doesn't seem like you really give a damn anymore." She replied bitterly before stepping out and leaning over the railing slightly.

"Ready!" She called down to Rick, who nodded and walked to the gate. Daryl and Carol positioned themselves comfortably and began taking down walkers. Glenn, Maggie, T-Dog and Beth killed walkers through the fence, while Hershel and Carl shot from another guard tower. Daryl moved around the other end of the tower, and Carol lost her focus, shooting too close to Rick and nearly hitting him.

"Sorry!" She called when he looked up at her.

"Concentrate!" Daryl snapped at her. She took a breath and continued shooting. Rick finally got the gate secured and took shelter in another building.

"He did it." Carol said in disbelief. She let out a breath and looked at Daryl, but he wasn't focused on her. She smiled as they cleared the yard, and followed Daryl back down to the others.

"Dumb ass actually made it." Daryl said, shaking his head as he held the door open again for her. She smiled at him, and she thought she could almost see him smile back.

"The was fantastic!" Carol breathed, coming around the corner to the others. She walked to Lori, who was holding the gate open. "You okay?" She asked. Lori gave her a small smile.

"Haven't felt this good in weeks," She replied happily. Carol looked over her shoulder in time to see Daryl place his hand on Lori's shoulder as they exchanged a nod.

"We haven't had this much room since we left the farm!" Carol exclaimed happily. She laughed as she and Carl broke into a run, taking off to the middle of the field and smiling brightly. She heard T-Dog's cheers of happiness from somewhere behind her and she pulled Carl into a hug. She looked at Daryl, who was actually smiling, and she felt like maybe things would start to get better.

~X~

It was dark out and they had built a fire in the center of the field, where they all sat around it in a circle. All of them except for Rick, who was walking the perimeter, and Daryl, who stood watch on top of the overturned bus near the entrance. They'd cooked the owl that Daryl had caught, along with few squirrels and whatever food they happened to have. It wasn't delicious, or appetizing at all, but it was enough to fill their stomachs and make them feel a little better. Carol didn't pay much attention to the conversation. She heard Glenn make a comment about the food and T-Dog and Hershel making some sort of plans.

Carol was focused on watching Daryl, or what she could see of him in the dark. He wore the poncho they'd found at one of the houses, but it hadn't been that cold when they were inside to wear it. This is the first she'd seen it on him, and she had to admit it wasn't as bad as she thought it'd be. She preferred the leather jacket though. Carol searched her brain, trying to think of a reason to go to him, to talk to him. Suddenly her stomach growled, not appeased with such little food and she smiled. Grabbing a plate of food and excusing herself from the group she walked to him. She didn't purposely have to make noise, she knew he'd hear her.

"Got room for one more?" She asked once she reached him. He knelt down to help her up, and she happily excepted his offer. He pulled her up next to him, then grabbed the plate of food she'd set down. "It's not much, but if I don't bring you something, you won't eat at all." She said. He immediately dug in, using his fingers to eat. She smirked a little and crossed her arms to stay warm.

"It guess little Shane over there has got quite the appetite." He replied. She couldn't help but smile.

"Don't be mean." She scolded playfully. "Rick's gotten us a lot farther than I ever thought he would, I'll give him that." And she meant it, feeling guilty about what she'd said at the beginning of the winter. No one heard her but Daryl though, and at the time he'd agreed. Rick really was a leader, he made mistakes, but he paid for them in his own way. Carol respected him. They all did. "Shane could never have done that." She added. The ache in her shoulder and neck began to hurt and she rolled her shoulders.

"What's wrong?" Daryl asked, not missing the action. She should've known he'd catch it.

"That rifle." She said. "The kickback. I'm just not used to it." What he did next surprised her. He put down his plate and motioned for her to turn around. She obeyed, unsure of what he was going to do, but she trusted him. She was pleasantly surprised when he began massaging her shoulder, relieving the tense muscles. She couldn't help but smile. She looked over her shoulder at him, and he almost smiled back, but stopped. He slowly dropped his hands and she couldn't help but feel a slight sadness inside her.

"Better get back." He grumbled, motioning to the others. She was not letting him get away so easily.

"It's pretty romantic." She said. When she turned to look at him, she saw the worry etched in his face. "Wanna screw around?" She joked, easing the tension. He laughed a little and so did she. She turned to follow him.

"I'll go down first."

"Even better." Carol replied. The comment earned her a smirk and a head shake.

"Stop." He warned, making her laugh a little more. He reached up, taking her hands in his and helping her from the bus. Jumping down, she landed funny, causing her to stumble forward and Daryl's arm to wrap around her waist. She placed her arm over his, balancing herself. She turned to look at him and froze, realizing how close they were. They both stood silently for a moment, looking at each other, until Daryl slowly slipped his arm from her middle and dropped it at his side. With his other hand, he gave her a small tug and pulled her with him, making their way back to the group. Carol didn't entirely understand what just happened, but it was enough to make her walk earn a little hop to it.

"_So fill to me, the parting glass_." Beth was singing softly when they returned. With a quick glance, Daryl pulled away from Carol and stood behind Glenn. Carol stopped next to him as Maggie began to sing with her sister. They listened quietly, Carol watching the man next to her with the urge to touch him again, but resisting. He turned to her and offered a small smile, before returning his attention to the group as the girls finished their song and Rick spoke.

"Better all turn in." He said. "I'll take watch over there. Got a big day tomorrow." Carol swallowed hard, knowing what that meant. Again they'd put their lives on the line, risk losing someone else. They went all winter, not losing anyone from the original group, but who knew what the next day would bring. Carol knew, as well as the others that the next day could be the day they lose Glenn, or Hershel. Beth, or Carl, or even Daryl. Carol bit her lip at the thought, sending a worried glance at the man next to her. Where would she be if he was gone?

"Most of the walkers are dressed as guards, or prisoner." Rick continued. "Looks like this place fell pretty early. Could mean the supplies may be intact. Could have an infirmary, commissary-"

"An armory?" Daryl asked.

"Not in the prison itself." Rick replied. "But no too far away." Daryl nodded, and Rick continued talking.

"You think this is a good idea?" Carol whispered to Daryl. He looked at her.

"Best idea we got." He replied.

"These assholes don't stand a chance." Rick said to Carl, earning a deserved smile from the boy. With that Rick stood to go on watch and Carol sat next to Carl. Lori took off after Rick and Daryl sat down next to Carol.

"Get some sleep, okay?" Carol whispered to Carl, who nodded and rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. Carol scooted closer to Daryl, who wrapped his blanket around the two of them. Everyone else settled next to each other, keeping close for warmth. Lori returned after a short while and laid next to Carl, pulling him close. Carol saw tears in her eyes, but didn't comment.

"We should sleep." Daryl said quietly to her. She nodded and leaned against him. His arm went around her and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly and they laid down.

"Be careful tomorrow." Carol whispered, resting her head on Daryl's shoulder.

"Yes ma'am." He replied sarcastically. She smiled and closed her eyes, falling asleep shortly.

_**A/N: Alright, guys! They're at the prison! Safety at last! Or so they think. Anyway, I have a question for you guys! I've been thinking about starting another story, it'd be just a huge collection of oneshots. I like writing them because there isn't so much commitment behind it, and I find them very fun to write because I can skip around. So, would any of you read them if I posted them? Because there isn't much purpose if no one will read them. Let me know! Love. ~Helen**_


	37. Regrets

Fear arose in the pit of Carol's stomach as another walker lunged itself at Daryl. Shrill cries erupted from Carol's throat as she tried to divert the walker's attention with no avail. Luckily, Daryl caught the walker mid jump, plunging a knife into its eye socket. With a deep relieved breath Carol continued to take out walkers from her side of the fence. Finally all the walkers were cleared and the men and Maggie disappeared around the corner.

"I can't see them, can you see them?" Lori asked frantically. Carol felt as worried as Lori sounded. She reached over and took her friend's hand. They could hear the gurgling of walkers, and the clanging of metal on metal, but not much else. Beth glanced worriedly at the women next to her, but didn't say anything. After what seemed like a million years, the group reappeared in front of them. They stood together, discussing something, before pushing on and rushing inside. Daryl paused just outside the door and turned to them. He gave Carol a small nod, which she returned with a smile, before he disappeared with the others.

"They've made it inside." Carol breathed with relief.

"You sure?" Lori asked. Carol smiled at her.

"Positive."

~X~

Finally, Glenn and Maggie returned from inside and opened the gate, letting them in. They walked inside to see T-Dog dragging a body from the room. All of the men and Maggie were covered in blood splatter and looked warn out, but they were alive and that was all Carol could ask for.

"What do ya think?" Rick asked, coming down the stairs.

"Home sweet home." Glenn replied.

"It's secure?" Lori questioned.

"This cell block is." Rick replied. He gave Lori a long stare until Hershel asked about the rest of the prison. "In the morning we'll search for the cafeteria and infirmary."

"We sleep in the cells?" Beth asked, unsurely.

"Found some key on some guards." Rick explained. "Daryl has a set too." Carol felt more comfortable with that thought. The cell block was perfect. Well, as perfect and comfy as a prison could be. Carol peered into one of the cells, seeing a bed she smiled, but it faded as quick as it'd come. Each cell had bunk beds, the beds only big enough to fit one person comfortably. She felt her cheeks heat slightly as she glanced up at Daryl.

"I ain't sleepin in no cage." Daryl said to them. "I'll take the perch." He grabbed his bag and cross bow and walked off. Carol turned to Lori.

"Come on." Carol said softly. "I think the boys need their space." Lori nodded and followed Carol upstairs. They chose a cell close to Daryl, leaving only one empty cell between them and his perch. Carol was grateful that Lori didn't argue with her choice of cell, and they sat side by side on the bed. Carol took a deep breath and looked at her friend. Lori looked exhausted, physically and emotionally. Lori rested back, and Carol held her hand as she slowly drifted off to sleep. After covering her with a light blanket, Carol left the room.

Carol found Daryl on his perch, sorting through his supplies. Carol approached him slowly, unsure how he'd react to her.

"Hey." She said softly.

"Hey yourself." He replied, not looking at her. She stopped in front of him, causing him to look up at her.

"Are you okay?" She asked carefully. His eyes narrowed in confusion. "You've been acting strange."

"Ain't been actin no different than usual." He grumbled.

"Yes you have." She argued calmly. "Ever since-" She didn't want to say it. Maybe he'd been trying to forget it, pretend it didn't happen?

"Since what?" He dared her. "Since the river?" She nodded slowly. "So have you, woman." He stood and walked past her, heading for the stairs.

"Daryl Dixon!" She called after him sternly, causing him to turn to her. She kept her voice low, so as not to disrupt the quiet of the prison. "You kissed me first. Yeah, I kissed you back, but don't you dare pretend like you didn't play a part in it." He walked back to her, stopping inches from her, glaring at her. She glared right back.

"Maybe I did make the first move." His voice was deep, and would make anyone but Carol cower away, but she stood her ground. "But that don't mean I ain't regrettin it now."

_**A/N: Yeah, Daryl is a brat in this chapter. Sorry. So, I got a lot of positive reviews about the one shot idea, so I think I'll do it. It's my new project. I'll let you all know when it's up. Love. ~Helen**_


	38. Forgive and Forget

Carol felt like she'd just been slapped. No, worse than slapped. This was nothing compared to being slapped, and lord knows she's familiar with the feeling. Daryl had hurt her in a way that no one had ever accomplished before, not even Ed. Ed had hurt her in almost every Carol could ever imagine, but this was a whole new level. She felt the tears stinging her eyes and the ache in her chest made it impossible to breath as she watched Daryl walk away from her. She instinctively crossed her arms, whether she was protecting herself, or keeping herself from falling into pieces before him, she didn't know. She only knew that she hurt.

Daryl stopped and said a few quick words to Rick before storming outside. Carol stood in the same spot, willing the tears to pour down her face as she slowly crumbled to the ground. She pulled her knees to her chest and focused on breathing. Rick came up the stairs and paused seeing her.

"Carol?" Rick's voice seemed distant, even as he stood only feet from her. She didn't look at him, she didn't really look at anything. Just stared straight ahead. Rick knelt in front of her, putting a hand on her arm. She tried to jerk away, but couldn't will her body to move. Why was she like this? Why did this hurt so bad? Rick's eyes grew concerned and he turned and hurried back down the stairs. She watched him go silently.

Carol softly touched the bracelet on her arm, running her fingers over the cool metal. She finally peeled her eyes from the stairs where Rick and Daryl disappeared, looking down at the bright blue gem. She felt a sob somewhere inside her and she fought to choke it back. She felt a rage inside of her suddenly. An anger towards Daryl that she hadn't really felt before. He'd always been her friend, and even before that he'd never done anything to make her this upset. He was someone she could look to, for everything. The person she trusted most to keep her safe and alive, but also not to hurt her, but he'd just hurt her, right? Not physically, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

A frustrated sigh escaped her lips at the realization that she wasn't really mad at him, she was mad at herself. She let herself believe for a second that maybe her and Daryl were something other than friends, she felt so stupid. She'd forgive him though, she knew that to be true. He could hurt her a thousand times over, and she'd forgive him each time. Only because she knew that's how he was. Unlike Ed, Daryl didn't hurt her for his own personal gain or enjoyment. Nor did her even really want to hurt her to start with, things just happened. Carol knew eventually that Daryl would come to his senses and remember who she was. Of course he was regretting kissing her, why would he find any remote interest in her? She was just plain old Carol.

"Carol?" His voice had her eyes snap back to the stairs as he slowly ascended them. She couldn't find the words to scream at him, like her mind was telling her to. Yell at him, make him hurt the way you do, but she couldn't. Another part of her wanted to hug him, hold him. She needed to feel the comfort that only he could provide, even if he was the one who hurt her to start with.

Carol slowly rose to her feet. She couldn't help the anger that bubbled inside her, along with the need to cling to him. Her face was obviously mixed with emotion as well, because Daryl looked unsure of her next move. She even surprised herself when she swung her arm and pounded her fist into his chest. It wasn't enough to hurt him, but enough to show how she was feeling. She hit him again with her other hand, and repeated. She hit him six or seven times before finally losing her composer and falling into his arms, crying again.

"I'm sorry." He said softly to her. She shook her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry." She said between cries, which were slowly calming. "I didn't mean for this to happen." He didn't reply, just squeezed his arms around her tighter. Any other time, she probably would've been afraid he'd leave bruises from the force of his hold, but right then she didn't really care. They stood like that until Carol calmed her breathing. Finally Daryl loosened his grip and she pulled back to look at him. He reached up with one hand and wiped the tears from her soaked cheeks.

"Are you okay?" He asked. She gave him a nod and a smile. Not a happy smile, but not a fake smile either, just one that confirmed that she was indeed fine. "We should rest." He said. "Big day tomorrow." She knew this was his way of asking her to forget what happened. Forget the argument and the tears and move on. That was one thing she could always count on Daryl for. He didn't hold the past with him, not with her. He let the hurt go and could move on. He wasn't like that with Merle, or his father, or Rick or anyone else, but her. He'd always forgiven her, and forgot the anger.

"Forgive and forget." She muttered, acknowledging that she was alright with leaving their relationship at it's current standpoint. He gave her a small, crooked smile before gently placing his lips on her forehead. Carol closed her eyes and smiled, relishing the moment until he pulled away. They both laid down at his perch and fell asleep together, just as they'd always done.


	39. Recovery

_**A/N: Hey guys. I'm back from my little writing haitus and I deeply apologize for my lack of updates. Lately I've been really busy, between school and work, and trying to find time for my family, friends and boyfriend, writing time is pretty limited. Not to mention I was just in the ER for awhile, so yeah. Here's the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy, and again I'm sorry for the wait. Just so you guys know, these next few chapters will probably skip around a lot, there'll be quite a few scene breaks so I hope that doesn't confuse you all. Love. ~Helen**_

Carol felt Daryl tense next to her, every muscle in his body became rigid. Her lips formed a frown, but she hadn't entirely woken up yet. She heard soft footsteps, obviously that is what had alerted Daryl. He shifted next to her, propping himself up on his elbow. She opened her eyes, realizing how close the footsteps were. Her face was buried in Daryl's chest, her hand grasping the material of his shirt firmly. She let out a small sigh and reluctantly pulled away from him. Carol turned to the approaching person, slightly surprised to see Lori.

"Carol?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Can I talk to you?" Beneath the softness, Carol understood the slight urgency and desperation in her tone. Carol nodded and sat up, stretching a bit. "Daryl, T and Rick are looking for you. I think they're about ready to go." Carol looked out the windows, surprised to see much more sun than expected.

"The hell time is it?" Daryl asked gruffly. Lori smiled a little.

"Early afternoon." She replied. Daryl cursed under his breath and climbed from underneath the blanket. He grabbed his crossbow and hurried down the stairs.

"What's up?" Carol asked, turning her attention to Lori.

"You always that cozy when ya sleep?" Lori asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It was cold." Carol defended quickly.

"Right." Lori replied sarcastically, before motioning for Carol to follow her. Carol obeyed and Lori led her to the cell they'd chosen the day previous. Lori sat on the bed, leaving room for Carol to sit next to her.

"What's wrong?" Carol asked.

"I think I lost the baby." Lori said weakly. "I haven't felt it move, or kick."

"That doesn't mean you lost it." Carol said, taking one of Lori's hands in hers.

"I know." Lori said, nodding slight and wiping a tear from her eye. "But think of the odds, Carol. I hardly eat or sleep. And when I do it isn't very well. We travel so damn much. I'm under a lot of stress- Well, we all are. It wouldn't surprise me."

"Do you want me to get Hershel?" Carol asked softly. Lori nodded before pulling Carol into a hug which she happily excepted. Carol gave her friend a warm smile before wiping the tears from her cheeks and walking off to find Hershel. Carol found him with Daryl, Rick and T-Dog. Daryl was swinging a large pole like a baseball bat and she worried slightly that he'd hit one of the others.

"Hershel?" They all turned to her and she motioned for him to follow her.

"Everything alright?" Rick asked. She felt bad for the man, it looked like he'd hardly slept. He was so worried about Lori, Carl, and the baby. He was going to make himself sick.

"Yeah. Nothing to worry about." She said quickly. It wasn't all together a lie. Carol didn't truly believe Lori lost the baby. Or at least she wouldn't admit that it could happen, she didn't want to lose anyone else. Hershel quickly followed her, leaving the others.

"What's the matter?" Hershel asked as they were out of earshot.

"Lori thinks she lost the baby."

~X~

Carol stood outside Lori's cell, listening to Lori talk to Hershel. Tears poured down her face as she thought of that baby being born as one of those things. One of those monsters. Lori told Hershel to put her down if they turned, either one of them. Carol immediately began to panic at that. Hershel was teaching her how to deliver the baby. In case of a circumstance that he couldn't do it, or even if he needed help. Carol quickly rushed away from Lori's cell and down the stairs and nearly into Daryl.

"Carol?" He asked as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. She cried a bit and he held her, rubbing her back soothingly.

"I can't do it." She gasped.

"Do what?" He asked. She let a sob out before replying.

"If the baby is a walker. If Lori becomes one, I can't do it." She pulled away and looked up at him. "I can't put them down." Daryl frowned and pulled her to him again.

"You won't have to."

"But-" He shushed her.

"You won't have to." He paused. "I won't let that happen." She smiled, because she knew Daryl would make sure he kept his promise.

~X~

Daryl, Rick, T-Dog, Hershel, Glenn and Maggie left to clear the prison. It was about two hours later that Carol, Lori, Carl and Beth sat around the table, looking anxiously towards the door.

"Do you think one of them got hurt?" Beth asked quietly. The thought made a knot form in all of their stomachs. Carol wrapped her arm around the girl and pulled her close.

"I'm sure they're fine, Beth." Lori said with a comforting smile. Beth nodded.

"Maybe we should start to clean this place up." Carol suggested, looking around. "From the sound of it, we'll be here awhile." They all nodded, eager to do anything to take their mind off of the group members that were risking their lives. Again. About a half an hour later, their cleaning was interrupted by loud shouting. Their heads all snapped to the door as Carl hurried over with keys to unlock it. A million shouts from everyone erupted as the wheeled in what looked like a table with a bleeding Hershel on it. The rushed into one of the cells and everyone was quick to follow. Everyone with the exception of Daryl and T-Dog, who rushed back out. Carol didn't know where they were going, but she had more important things to worry about than babysitting those two.

It wasn't until Carol moved to help Rick, Glenn and Lori move Hershel off the table that she realized his lower leg was missing. Rick said he'd been bit, so he must've cut it off to stop the infection. It was truly brilliant, but with the lack of medical supplies and their only doctor as the patient, it was a huge risk.

"I need bandages!" Carol said quickly to the others as she held a towel to Hershel's bleeding limb. Glenn was quick to inform her that they had no more. "Well then get more! Anything!" She instructed.

"Can you stabilize him?" Rick asked. It wasn't until then that Carol realized she was the only one who had any clue what she was doing.

"We need to keep his leg elevated." She explained. "Get some pillows!" Suddenly everyone was talking about cauterizing the wound. "No!" She said quickly. "The shock will kill him." A relieved Beth caught her eye and nodded to her. "We need to keep it dressed, it'll heal on it's own."

"What was that?" Beth asked as shouting came from the other room.

"Prisoners. Survivors. It's alright." Rick said quickly. Carol understood where Daryl and T-Dog ran off to. "Everybody stay put." He rushed towards the shouting. Carol and Lori shared a frantic look, before returning to Hershel. That's all either of them knew for the next few hours, was tending to Hershel's bleeding leg.

~X~

"It has to stop eventually, right?" Carol asked Lori. They'd been sitting with Hershel for what seemed like a million years and the small cell block was starting to feel a bit claustrophobic. Lori and Carol sat near Hershel, with Beth and Maggie loomed a few feet away, Glenn and Carl hovering in the doorway.

"It's slowed quite a bit already." Lori replied.

"If we get him through this-"

"When when get him through this." Lori interrupted. Carol let out a light sigh and continued.

"We'll need crutches." Carol finished. She assumed it was common knowledge, but she said it anyway. Lori went on to list the medical supplies they needed but were lacking. "There's got to be an infirmary here."

"If there is we'll find it." Lori said quickly. Carol narrowed her eyes at her slightly. Look who was suddenly Ms. Optimistic.

"You've gotta be worried sick about delivering the baby." Carol added.

"Look at me. Do I look worried?" Lori asked. Carol had no idea where Lori's spirit suddenly came from, but she wasn't much in the mood for it at the moment.

"You look disgusting." Carol said with a small smirk.

"So do you." Lori replied with a laugh. "We'll get through this.


	40. Saying Good-bye

Carol sat in the same spot near Hershel's bed, Lori sitting next to her. Neither of them had wandered far, wanting to keep close. Glenn and Maggie now lingered in the doorway, Beth had taken off to do something while Carl went to organize food with T-Dog. The bleeding in Hershel's leg had stopped, but that didn't mean they'd saved him. Glenn and Maggie quietly slipped out of the room and Carol looked to Lori.

"It's a good thing Hershel taught me how to deliver the baby if I need to." She said with a sad smile. "Seems like he'll be out of commission for a while." Lori offered her a sad smile in return.

"Ya know, me and Rick always talked about having another baby." Lori said. "But my C-Section with Carl nearly scared Rick to death. That's why we waited, thinking maybe when Carl was a little older." She let out a light laugh.

"Ed wanted more kids after Sophia." Carol explained. "I'm not sure why, all he ever did was scream at her. But he wanted a little boy."

"You never tried again?" Lori asked. Carol nodded.

"We did. At least he thought we did. I got on birth control the day after he first mentioned another one. Bringin another baby into the mess we already had wasn't a good idea for anyone." Lori nodded and the pair grew silent when Glenn returned to the cell.

"More food's here!" T-Dog's voice called out and Carl was quick to open the door as he and Rick came in. "Canned beef, canned corn. Canned cans." Carol smiled at him as he walked by the cell.

"Take my cuffs, put them on him." Rick said. Carol squeezed her eyes shut and looked away from Hershel for a minute. When she opened them again, Glenn was hooking one cuff to Hershel's wrist and the other to the bed frame.

"What's goin on?" Carol looked apologetically to Maggie.

"It's just a precaution." Carol said softly. Maggie didn't argue, but Carol saw the last of the hope leave her eyes.

"Think maybe I could have a minute alone here?" Maggie asked. She didn't want Glenn there either. So together Glenn and Carol exited the cell.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Glenn asked her nervously.

"She's just saying good bye." Carol replied.

"What? Why? He's still here!" Glenn hissed. Carol shook her head.

"She's preparing herself."

"She's given up!"

"She's bein smart." Carol snapped. Whatever retort that Glenn had disappeared once he heard her tone. "I did the same thing, Glenn. Back on that farm, when Daryl came back without Sophia for what seemed like the millionth time. He was hurt, lucky to be alive. I went into the RV and I cried." Her voice cracked and Glenn looked like he wasn't sure how to comfort her. "I looked out towards the woods and I said 'Baby, if you're out there, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't try harder to find you. I'm sorry I let you out of my sights. I'm sorry that I failed you, and I let your daddy hurt you. And I'm sorry that I didn't take you away sooner."

"I'm sorry, Carol." Glenn said after a moment. Carol shook her head and offered a small smile.

"Don't be. I told my little girl good bye that day. I told her that I'll be okay without her, and I only want her safe from this world. A couple days later, there she was, in that barn. She was gone. And nothin could've fully prepared me for it, except saying good bye. Even if Hershel does make it through this, he won't live forever. Maggie is truly a smart, brave girl. And she's just preparin herself."

"Ya'll can come back in now." Glenn and Carol looked to Maggie, with tears soaked on her cheeks. Glenn hurriedly hugged her and let her cry into his shoulder. Carol returned to Hershel's side, soon accompanied by Beth and Lori. After Maggie calmed down she stood with Beth against the wall. Glenn played with his pocket watch and they waited. They heard a door creak closed and footsteps nearing them.

"Though you were organizing the food?" Glenn asked. Carol raised and eyebrow as Carl entered the cell with a duffle bag.

"Even better." He replied with a smile. "Check it out."

Carol could've kissed that boy. When he opened the duffle bag and inside were bandages, gauze and antibiotics, Carol felt relief sweep over her. She immediately reached in and pulled out what she needed. She faintly heard Carl say he found the infirmary as she began to wrap Hershel's leg. Immediately Lori got upset with Carl for going alone, and Carol understood the concern, but Carl did more for Hershel that any of them had. Finally Carl rushed from the room, angered by his mother and Beth who weren't quite as impressed as he hoped they'd be.

"I'm not sayin what he did was right." Carol said as he wrapped Hershel's leg. "But he did a damn good job."

"He probably save Hershel's life." Glenn added. "At the least, he stopped the risk of infection." Lori sighed and rested her face in her hands.

"Let me go talk to him." Beth said softly as she stood and left the cell.

~X~

A little while later, Beth returned. She said she talked to Carl and then he went to organize food. They all sat in their same spots in the small cell, each thinking about something silently. Carol thought about what Lori had said about her C-Section. Hershel hadn't told her what to do in case they had to do a C-Section and Carol didn't know if she was fully prepared.

"These bandages will help prevent infection." Carol mumbled.

"That's good." Glenn replied. It was simple talk, not too much to it, but enough to make the room seem less stressful. Glenn was good for that. He was a trustworthy guy. Smart. "It's good that he taught you all this stuff." He added.

"He didn't teach me everything." Carol replied with a glance at Lori. Carol glanced around the room. Lori, Maggie and Beth could handle things for awhile. Nothing major had happened lately. She turned to Glenn. "I need your help with somethin." She whispered.

"Now?"

"Yeah, now."

"What is it?" He asked. Carol shook her head and stood up.

"Not here." She replied.

"I can't leave Hershel." Glenn said. Carol sighed and turned to him.

"This is important."

"Go on." Lori interrupted.

"We'll be fine." Beth added.

"Rick said for me to stay." Glenn argued.

"We're fine." Maggie said with a nod. Carol sent a gratefully look to the three of them before motioning for Glenn to follow.

~X~

Daryl followed Rick and T-Dog back to the cell block. He felt kind of bad for Oscar and Axel, but he wasn't about to let them closer to where the group lived. They were dangerous, even if they didn't seem like it. Daryl had seen desperate men do desperate things. Once they reached the cell block the group was quick to inform them that Hershel nearly died in their absence and Lori saved him. Daryl was quick to notice that Carol was gone. Rick moved to kneel next to Hershel's side and everyone else but Daryl crowded into the small cell. He stood outside, looking in. And then Hershel opened his eyes. Relief swept over them all and even Daryl couldn't help but smile. Lori exited the cell and Daryl grabbed her arm gently.

"Where's Carol?" He asked. She looked startled by him at first, but then relaxed.

"She's outside."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. Her and Glenn went out earlier." She replied. "Glenn said she was working on something." Daryl nodded and walked away as Rick came up to them. Daryl went straight outside, noticing Carol between the two fences. He quickly made his way to her. Daryl wasn't sure what she was doing, but she was crouched down over what looked like a dead walker. When he got nearer, he noticed she had its stomach cut open.

"The hell you doin?" He asked her, a disgusted look overcoming his features. She didn't even glance up at him.

"Practicing." She replied.

"For what?" He asked.

"If Lori needs a C-Section, I need to know how to do it." She explained.

"And you're practicin on a walker?" She nodded and set her knife down on the ground. She still hadn't looked at him and it made him a bit worried.

"I just don't want to mess up." She said softly. Daryl kneeled down next to her.

"Hey, you'll do fine." He said. She looked up at him as tears glistened in her eyes.

"I hope so." She said. He offered her a smile which she returned.

"Ya done here?" He asked. She nodded. "Good. Cause Hershel opened his eyes." Carol's smile grew immediately.

"He did?" She asked. Daryl nodded. "Oh thank god." Daryl smiled again.

"See? Ya save his life. This," He motioned to the dissected walker in front of them. "this'll be a piece of cake." Carol smiled and stood up. She wrapped her arm around his waist he did the same as the walked back to the prison.


	41. Prisoners

It was a long day from the start. Carol woke, tired from the day before only to be greeted with another days work. Hershel was doing quite well, and Carol was quite please with the work she'd done. Glenn and Maggie had made a run to town to retrieve some crutches that he'd try out later that day. The day before was spent cleaning the inside of the prison. Daryl, Rick and T-Dog cleared out the areas of the prison closest to them, while Glenn and Maggie ventured outside double check all the outer walls and fences. Beth and Lori were watching Hershel so it left Carol and Carl to do most of the indoor cleaning. They picked up the garbage the was littered about and scrubbed the blood and grime from the walls of the cells. Carl even helped do some of the laundry, since Carol wanted to wash some of the bedding for the bunks to make it seem more clean.

Today, however was different than cleaning. While Carl, Beth and Lori tended to Hershel, the rest of the group ventured outdoors. The bodies of fallen walkers littered the yard and had to be cleared. The morning and early afternoon were spent rounding up bodies for burning and moving cars around the prison. Carol had finally moved the last of the cars into the prison when she approached Daryl and Rick.

"Where's Glenn and Maggie?" Carol asked. "We could use some help." It was warm out and her Daryl, Rick and T-Dog were all tired and hungry. They needed to get work done though, so they dealt with it. Extra help was always appreciated though.

"They're up in the guard tower." Daryl replied.

"The guard tower? They were just up there last night." The four of them looked up to the guard tower Daryl motioned to as he called out to them. A moment later Glenn appeared out the door, shirtless and zipping up his pants. Carol had to bite back a laugh as the men snickered at their friend.

"You comin?" Daryl called, a sly smirk on his face.

"What?" Glenn replied, unsure what else to say. Carol couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped from her lips and she snuck a glance at T-Dog to see him shake his head.

"You comin?" Daryl repeated. Rick shook his head but couldn't hide his smile. Daryl turned to Carol and gave her a quick wink before turning back to Glenn. "Come on. We could use a hand." Carol giggled again and followed Rick and Daryl back to the vehicles.

"Hey, Rick." T-Dog caught their attention. They all turned to see the two remaining prisoners, Axel and Oscar standing at the fence.

"Stay here." Daryl growled to Carol before he caught up to Rick to meet the prisoners half way. Glenn and Maggie came from the guard tower and Carol wasn't going to be the only one to stay behind so she followed and stood behind Rick and Daryl. She felt bad for the prisoners as they begged Rick to let them leave that cell block. She knew what it was like to see your friends dead, but at least she didn't have to look at them all the time. Rick was quick to tell them they weren't allowed with the group, and though it was cold, Carol agreed. They didn't know those men, they could be dangerous. She didn't want them around Lori or Beth or Carl or the baby. And if they were a threat, then she sure as hell didn't want them around Daryl. He could hold his own, but if he was caught off guard... She didn't want to think about it.

Rick turned to Daryl, who in turn shook his head no. Carol was glad, because if Daryl thought something wasn't right, Rick would listen. He trusted Daryl's judgement most out of anyone in the group. Daryl wasn't a cold hearted man, he had his soft points; but he knew when something didn't feel right.

"Let's talk about this." T-Dog said. Rick nodded and motioned for them all to gather. They did, near the truck as Daryl led the prisoner's away.

"What do you think?" Rick asked them all.

"No way." Glenn said immediately. "They're not comin in our group. Not with Maggie and Beth and everyone else.

"We don't know these guys." T-Dog said.

"All the more reason not to trust them." Maggie cut in.

"I think we need to give them a chance." T-Dog argued calmly. "They're just survivors like us."

"Are you serious?" Rick asked as Daryl rejoined them. "You want them living in a cell next to you? They'll just be waitin' for a chance to grab our weapons; you wanna go back to sleepin with one eye open."

"I never stopped." T-Dog replied. Carol had to agree. Even within the cement walls of the prison, there was always that chance. The moment you get caught off guard, or you lose one of your own. She'd never stopped worrying, even in this little piece of what seemed like heaven.

"Axel seems a little unstable." Glenn said.

"After all we've been through? We've fought so hard for all this, what if they decide to take it?" Carol added. Daryl gave her a stiff nod before looking back to the others.

"It's just been us for so long." Maggie said. "They're strangers."

"They can't even kill walkers!"

"They're convicts, bottom line." Carol said. She didn't like that she said it, but someone had to. Carol was never one to judge someone on their past, appearance, or stereotypes; but this was a new world and if it meant that's what was going to keep these men away from Daryl and the others, then she'd go with it.

"I get guys like this." Daryl said. "Hell, I grew up with them. They're degenerates, but they ain't psychos. I coulda been in there with them just as easily as I'm out here with you guys."

"So you're with me?"

"Hell no." Daryl replied. Carol felt the corner of her mouth twitch a bit, but it faded when she saw T-Dog's face drop in disappointment. "Let them take their chances out on the road, just like we did." Carol shook her head slightly at him. She knew he was thinking that it wasn't fair for the group to just offer them help when they didn't have to suffer what they did.

Carol couldn't deny she agreed with Daryl. Oscar and Axel didn't have to go through what their group did. They didn't have to see the start of it, the millions of people becoming infected and the confusion that was in everyone's mind. They didn't have to watch their loved ones suffer so much as they changed into a walker. And lucky for them, they didn't have to put down anyone they cared about. They'd never destroy the brain of their wives, children, parents, siblings or even friends. They were locked in a cafeteria, sheltered from the world since the beginning and it wasn't fair for them to waltz right on out and join Rick and the rest of them. Each one of their group suffered to earn their keep in the group; but these men? Axel and Oscar? They haven't even begun to feel the suffering.

"We've been through too much." Rick said, pulling Carol from her thoughts. "Our deal with them stands." The group broke apart then, Carol casting an apologetic look to T-Dog before following the others.

"I feel bad throwin' them out." Carol admitted as she walked with Rick and Daryl. "But I can't say I want them to stay either."

"They ain't staying." Daryl said quickly. "They ain't sharing a cell block anywhere near you. Or the rest of the group for that matter." T-Dog, Glenn and Maggie joined them then and they returned to their work.

"Give me the keys, I'll start helping T-Dog and Maggie move cars." Carol offered. Daryl nodded and handed her the keys and they set to work again. Glenn, Rick and Daryl wandered outside the fence line as Carol and Maggie all moved cars closer to the building, T-Dog guiding them. Finally, Carol backed the last car into the line and climbed out. She glanced over to see Lori, Beth and Carl, walking out, next to them was Hershel supported by crutches.

"Alright, Hershel!" They all turned and smiled at Glenn as he and the other two entered back into the safety of the fence.

"Ready to race, Hershel?" Carl asked with a laugh.

"Give me another day, I'll take you on." Hershel replied. Carol and the others laughed. They all stood still for a moment, watching as Hershel adjusted to his crutches. Carol glanced over Hershel's shoulder to see them, just as Carl turned and shouted.

"Walkers! Look out!"

_**A/N: You guys miss me? I promise that I will try to update more frequently from now on. I had lots of time today, I didn't go to work because I got sick and lost my voice. So I wrote about 7 chapters today. Haha. I hope you all still like this story. Please review! Love. ~Helen**_


	42. Prison Walkers

"CAROL!" Daryl bellowed. He saw them as soon as Rick did and they took off at full speed. He felt his feet pounding against the dirt and felt the pull of his muscles as he ran but he felt as if he were getting further away instead of closer to them.

"Get out of there!" Rick yelled. "Lori!" Daryl nearly barreled over Rick to get to the gate before realizing it was locked. He spun on the spot, nearly falling on his ass as his feet slipped from under him. He caught himself in time and turned to yelled to Glenn to give him keys. Glenn had fallen further behind, quickly remembering to close the fence back up. Glenn tossed the keys to Daryl, who in turn passed them to Rick. Daryl heard the gun shots and each one made him turn to see who was still standing. He could barely see the red of Carol's scarf on her head as she fired at walkers. He yelled at Rick to hurry and open the lock. By the time the sheriff got the gate open and the three plowed in, the only group members in view were Hershel and Beth, who'd sought shelters within a gated area.

"What the hell happened?" Rick yelled at them.

"The gate was open!" Beth replied, panicked. Daryl and Glenn took out the last of the walkers in the small area.

"Where's Lori, Carl, everyone else?"

"Maggie ran Lori and Carl into the C block!"

"T-Dog was bit!" Daryl froze at Beth's words. T-Dog was bit? That couldn't be possible, he was T-Dog.

"Anyone else?"

"I couldn't tell." Beth was doing the best she could at explaining the situation but Daryl was frustrated beyond belief. Where was Carol? Last Daryl saw, she was with T-Dog. And T was bit. Carol was with someone who could turn walker on her in a matter of minutes and no one knew where they were.

"Those chains didn't break on their own." Glenn explained. "Someone took an ax or a cutters to them. Ya think they did it?" Glenn didn't miss Rick as he turned to look at Axel and Oscar who were slowly approaching.

"Who else?" Rick asked angrily. Daryl wanted to run to the prisoners and rip their throats out. They were the cause of this. They were the reason that T-Dog was bit, and maybe more. Maybe Carol. The thought made Daryl want to vomit. It made him want to hurt Axel and Oscar more than he'd ever hurt a man before. Before Daryl could think of moving to take any sort of action, though, a loud siren began echoing around them. Some prison alarm that was bound to alert every walker in the state directly to them.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Daryl yelled. Rick was quick to throw him the keys as he and Glenn began shooting out the speakers to kill the alarms.

"It has to be the back up generators!" Oscar said quickly as Rick pointed a gun at him. Daryl then realized that none of what was happening had anything to do with the two convicts. That only made Daryl more upset because he didn't know who to be angry at.

"Come with us!" Rick yelled, pulling Oscar with him as they all took off inside the prison. The first place they ran to the cell block C. The second they arrived Daryl's heart stopped momentarily. It was completely deserted. No Carol, no Carl, no Maggie, hell not even Lori was there. Daryl looked frantically to Rick, who looked like he was on the verge of his own panic attack.

"Somebody is playing games!" Rick was going to lose his mind if he kept this up. "We'll split up and look for the others. Who ever gets to the generators first, shut them down!" Daryl followed Rick and Oscar as Glenn and Axel went opposite them.

~X~

Carol's heart pounded in her chest, her feet pounded against the concrete floor as she turned corner after corner. She couldn't remember how to get out of the tombs of the prison, she'd never been in them before. She followed T-Dog, hoping he'd lead the way, but T-Dog was gone now. He'd sacrificed himself to save her. She felt a sob build inside her, but she quickly swallowed it. Rounding another corner, she ran straight into a large walker, one that nearly knocked her off her feet. With a gasp she stumbled backwards, plunging her knife into the walker's throat. Realizing her knife was stuck, she turned in her heels and ran.

Carol found an unlocked door and pulled it open as she heard the walker shuffle somewhere behind her. She slammed the door shut and leaned against the wall, her chest and throat burning as she gasped for air. Tears poured unwillingly from her eyes, but not because she was sad or scared for herself but for the others. She hadn't seen any of them except T. T-Dog... They'd be better off without her in the long run, but they needed T. He was strong and could hold his own, unlike her, who hid behind the others like a coward.

Carol heard the walker stumble by outside and she let out a relieved, shaky breath. She was alive. Once this realization hit her, she felt dizzy. Her vision went black as she slid down the wall to the floor as consciousness slipped from her.

~X~

Daryl felt like he'd be sick. There was T-Dog -Or what was left of him. He looked away from T-Dog's corpse, to the scarf on the floor. His gut lurched in his stomach as he picked it up. He felt the soft material in his hands before throwing the scarf down again. He was done bringing dolls and scarves and false hope back to the group. The scarf didn't mean Carol was dead, did it? With only that thought, Daryl barreled through the door and into the corridor with a few walkers. He took them out quickly, two at the end of the hall and one a few feet from him. It fell, blocking the door that led to a closet or something.

"Carol!" Daryl called. He could hear the desperation in his own voice and he hated it.

"Calm down!" Glenn hissed at him. "You wanna draw more walkers up here?" Daryl growled, knowing Glenn was right.

"We have to go back." Rick said. "Lori and Carl and the others-"

"You ain't the only one with someone lost in here!" Daryl snapped at him. "I ain't leavin her!" He moved to proceed further into the tombs but Rick caught his arm.

"Daryl, she's gone." Rick said. "Her gun was empty, she only had a knife. The odds weren't in her favor." Rick looked sympathetic, and Daryl knew he meant well, but he couldn't stop the anger.

"What if she's bit?" Daryl yelled. "Then what? We gonna let her turn down here? Scared and hurt and alone? Huh?" His voice cracked and he could feel tears stinging his eyes and he fought them back. "What'd you do if it were Lori? Or Maggie?"

"Maggie and Lori are alive!" Glenn yelled at him. Daryl was surprised by the anger in his voice.

"Carol could be alive too!" Daryl snapped.

"Carol only had a knife! A knife against a crowd of hungry walkers!"

"She could be bit!" Daryl repeated. "I ain't leavin her like that!"

"If she did get bit, she probably looks a hell of a lot like T right now." Daryl actually did vomit that time. The thought of Carol looking as horrific as T made him more sick that anything ever had.

"We need to go back." Rick said when Daryl recovered. "Carol would want us to help them first." Daryl sighed and nodded reluctantly. He followed Rick and Glenn, picking up the discarded red scarf as he went.


	43. The Least He Could Do

_**A/N: Hey guys! So this chapter skips around a bit, I apologize. I also apologize for it being so short, I promise the next few are longer. Do you all remember the oneshot collection I was talking about a few chapters ago? Well it's up now. It's called Beginning To End. I have one chapter up, and am posting the second tonight. Yay! Anyway, I hope you read it, and this chapter, and enjoy both. Review please! Thanks. Love. ~Helen**_

Carol, Lori, and T-Dog. Three people lost because of one asshole. Daryl wished he would've killed the son of a bitch himself. Rick had been stupid to let Andrew leave the prison alive. All it did was give him the opportunity to get back, and he did. Oscar and Axel proved to be valuable members of the group, but it wasn't worth it. Daryl would've rather had his group alive.

His anger faded immediately, however, when he saw _her_. The tiny baby in Maggie's arms, fussing and crying. His immediate impulse was to grab the child from Maggie, hold her close and never let her go. However, he walked past the child, straight to Rick. Rick looked like he would snap at any second. Lori's death sunk in and the man began to scream.

"She needs formula. And soon. Or else she's going to die." Daryl's head snapped back to Hershel.

"Oh hell no." Daryl said angrily. "Not her."

~X~

Carol's eyes lids fluttered open. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and she sat up. Her brain recounted to events, the walkers, T-Dog, running, hiding. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and stood up on her shaky legs.

"Shit!" She gasped as she pushed on the door. Something was blocking the door and locking her in. She stepped back and slammed into the door. Whatever was in the way was not budging. It was probably a fallen walker. Her head sparked an idea. If there was a freshly fallen walker out there, someone would've had to kill it. Someone, most likely from her group.

"Hey!" She called, hitting her palm on the door. "Anybody there? Daryl? Rick?" The only answer was the gurgling of a walker who'd been bothered by her. She fell silent and sat down, feeling tired once more.

~X~

Daryl tried not to think about Carol as he and Maggie rode from the prison on his bike. He tried not to think about how no one except Carol had been allowed to ride on his bike before. He told himself this was different. They needed to get food for the baby. They had to save her, she was going to live. She had to.

They found a house with a play set and sand box out back. Children's toys littered the overgrown grass as Daryl and Maggie made their way to the house. They climbed into a window that led to a small nursery. Obviously, the home was once a day care. Small paper cut outs of handprints covered the dull wallpaper, each had having a name printed on it's palm. Daryl's eye was caught by one name, written in messy cursive letters; _Sofie._

Sofie, was so close to Sophia. Daryl's chest tightened as he thought of the little blonde haired, blue eyed girl in the rainbow t-shirt, clutching a doll to her chest. Daryl squeezed his eyes shut and turned away. He'd failed that little girl. And now he'd failed her mother. Daryl kicked the wall and stormed from the room.

~X~

Daryl drove back to the prison much faster than was safe. Maggie didn't seem to object to the speed, not that he cared if she did. He had to get back to that baby, had to protect her. If it was the last thing her'd do, he'd keep her safe. His anger flared suddenly. That was the same promise he'd made to himself about the woman with short grey hair and soft blue eyes.

He should never have left the tombs. Rick and Glenn were wrong, he should've went to find her. It was part of the silent pact they'd all made. You don't let your own turn. He should've went after her, dead or alive, he should've found her. Daryl hated Rick. Rick convinced him that they needed to go back, get to the others because they needed them. And what did Rick do? Rick took off like a mad man to the tombs when he discovered his wife was dead. Lori was at least dead, she wasn't coming back as one of them. She was in the best shape she could be in, but Carol? Carol was probably curled in a corner with a bite mark at the least, if she managed to escape most of the herd. Did she wonder where he was? Why hadn't he come looking? Was she mad he didn't find her in time? Did she die expecting him to show up at any second to rescue her?

Daryl shook those thoughts from his head. First thing in the morning he'd return to the tombs. He'd go back to where he'd found Carol's scarf and look for her. He'd search the entire prison, hell he'd search the entire state of Georgia until he found her. It was the least he could do.

~X~

Lil' Asskicker. The perfect name? Probably. That's what she'd have to be to survive in this world. None of the others seemed to object, so that's what he'd call her. He smiled as he looked at that baby in his arms. She had barely any hair, but the little she did have was smooth and soft against his skin. When she opened her eyes, they were the same color brown that Lori's had been. She was going to be a miniature of her mother and the thought worried Daryl already.

"Do you want me to take her?" Beth asked kindly. He shook his head and looked up at them all.

"Nah. You all need some rest. I'll sit with her awhile." They all nodded and filed out of the room back to their cells.

"Holler if ya need us." Hershel said as he and Beth exited. Daryl took a seat on the stairs, careful not to pull the bottle of formula away from the baby.

"What are we actually gonna call you?" He asked with a smile. Carl had suggested naming her after one of their group members that had passed, but how could they chose one? Recounting them all in his head, Daryl counted at least six, but there were probably more. He couldn't imagine naming her Sophia or Carol. It would've been too hard. He would never be able to treat her like her own person if she were named after someone he'd already failed to protect. Same went for Lori, Rick would struggle with that.

No, this baby would have her own name. Something that made her original. How many babies were being born during the apocalypse? Daryl couldn't imagine that there were many. So he'd make sure Lil' Asskicker would have to have her own name. It was the least he could do.


	44. The Tombs

**A/N: Hey everyone! Miss me? Sorry for the haitus, especially after I just promised you that I'd update more! My computer with my chapters crashed and I had to wait for it to get fixed. But I'm back now. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Please let me know what you think about it. I love you guys and your reviews. Love. ~Helen**

_I ask you, have you learned enough to trust me?  
For if you have not, this room will forever be your tomb.  
~Saw V~_

Carol's breaths were short and unsteady, her mind rushing into panic mode in the tight, confined space. Her claustrophobia had set in long ago, but it was only now that it began to truly take over. Her shallow breaths were the only sounds she could identify as her mind ran rampant, trying to discover a way out. She'd already thrown her body into the door, trying to push it open with no success. She'd tried screaming bloody murderer, but the only response was growling, snarling walkers. She'd searched the room with her hands, trying to find something, anything, to no avail. Eventually, Carol sat back down, defeated, accepting that any breath could be her last.

The oxygen slowly was being cut from her brain, making her eyes see spots in the dark room, with only the tiniest crack of light seeping through the door, but that light had long since disappeared and she assumed that it was night out. She'd already blacked out several times, how long had she been in that room. Her gargling stomach answered her, letting her know she'd been there quite a while, but how long? Hours? Days?

Certainly it couldn't have been days. Daryl would've found her by then. If he was even looking. Of course he was looking, he was her friend. He'd trained her, he would have faith in her to survive, right? But considering how many walkers were around every corner, Carol surprised even herself by surviving. Daryl had faith in her though. He'd come looking, unless he couldn't. No, he could. Nothing stopped a Dixon but death. Death. What if Daryl was dead? What if they were all dead, and she was the last, slowly starving to death in a closet? No, they couldn't be dead. Not all of them. Surely Rick was alive. And Rick would watch out for Lori and Carl. And Beth and Hershel were safe when she'd seen them. And Maggie was a good fighter. And Glenn was outside of the fence with Rick and Daryl. And Daryl, he had to be alive. He'd told her how many times, only a Dixon can kill a Dixon.

These thoughts running circles in her mind nearly made her vomit. Her breaths became even more uneven as she imagined each of them as walkers. Flesh eating walkers, like in her nightmares. Where they'd chase her to the end of time, haunting her every waking moment with memories of lost loved ones. Loved ones like Sophia. Sophia, maybe she'd see her again. Her beautiful daughter who was taken far too soon from a world she was far too young to understand. Carol had come to the reality long ago that Sophia was better off where she was, heaven or not, at least she wasn't afraid anymore. She didn't have to worry about an abusive father, or man eating walkers, or live a life of death and pain.

These were the last thoughts Carol had before she blacked out again.

~X~

Daryl led Oscar and Carl down to the tombs. He'd told them it was to clear out any last walkers, eliminate the threat before it became a threat. In reality he had to find her. Whether it was Carol, or another version of her, he had to find her. She was his responsibility, his friend. She was the one who was always there for him, offered him everything she could, put up with his tempers, always understood. Never asking for a thing in return but deserving it more than she knew. He had to find her.

Daryl glanced at Carl, who was looking at his feet. Daryl felt bad for the poor kid. He'd lost his mother, Daryl understood what that was like. He'd lost his mother when he was about Carl's age, that's around the time Merle left and his father had become twice as abusive. Daryl tried to remember how Carol always seemed to cheer Carl up when he was upset. When he thought about it though, he couldn't remember anything specific she said or did. She'd just talk to the boy, about whatever he wanted to talk about. Whether it was the problem at hand, or an upcoming run, or even the weather. She was kind of like the mother that Lori was struggling to be.

That's when it dawned on him. Carl had lost both his mothers that day. Lori, his mother who he loved despite her flaws, and Carol, the mother he looked to when he needed that comfort. Carl had also lost his father in a way, Rick's mind was starting to slip and Daryl didn't know how the group was taking it, let alone Carl. And with Beth busy with baby Asskicker, that left Carl feeling alone. Daryl knew that feeling too well. So, Daryl began to talk to him as they looked for walkers.

~X~

Carol's eyelids fluttered open at the sound of his voice. She smiled, willing herself to believe for only a moment that everything had been a dream, that they were sleeping on Daryl's perch, his arms wrapped protectively around her. That dream slowly faded and was replaced by the cold reality of where she was, still in what she considered her own personal hell. His voice, though, that hadn't been a fantasy, she'd heard it, she'd know it anywhere. She listened closely as footsteps tapped lightly on the floor just outside. She opened her mouth to calm to him, beg him to rescue her, but no sound came out. Her raw throat didn't give permission to even the slightest crack of sound to escape. Her eyelids struggled to stay open and she couldn't even raise her head from the wall it rested on.

She lifted her arm slowly, every muscle in her body objecting to the slightest of movements. She pushed herself, her fingertips finally touching the cool door and she gave a soft push. Not enough to do anything except make the door hit against it's frame lightly. She did it again, pleading with the God she no longer believed in that they'd hear her, save her.

He would. She knew it. She trusted him. He'd find her in this room.

~X~

A knife and a scarf? That's all he had left of Carol? He couldn't have something that meant anything? He was never a sentimental guy, but Carol deserved more of a memory than an item of clothing and a weapon. Daryl threw the knife at the opposite wall, breathing heavily. He mentally cursed every invisible force known to man. God, Holy Spirits, even Satan, he cursed at them for taking her. For letting her last moments be filled with such fear and agony. He didn't even have her body, something to bury. They had some of Lori, and the remains of T-Dog, but nothing from Carol.

Daryl closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, something near the doorway to a cell caught his eye. Upon closer examination, he realized exactly what it was. The realization made his heart jerk in his chest and brought fresh, angry tears to his eyes.

~X~

Carol smiled, her cracked lips splitting open, but she didn't care. She could hear him talking, she couldn't make out the words, but the soft lull of his voice soothed her more than any words could. She continued to push lightly on the door, not even really meaning to anymore, but it'd become a rhythm. Her last bit of strength, she moved to feel the bracelet on on her wrist, only to discover it's absence.

She no longer had enough will in her body to shed the tears that wanted to flow. She didn't have the breaths to sob quietly. She didn't have to strength she needed to muster even one more push on the door. She'd given up. Her last thoughts of Daryl and Sophia as she closed her eyes, accepting the fate that was soo to come. And suddenly the door flew open.

~X~

Hot tears poured down his cheeks. He hated himself for crying, but hated himself more for failing. He'd failed at many things before. Failed to earn his fathers approval, failed to be the son his mother needed to quit drinking. Failed to live up to Merle's expectations, and his own. Failed to find and rescue Sophia. Worst of all, he failed to protect Carol.

A silver bracelet, with a blue gem on it was gripped tightly in his palm, while his other hand drove her knife into the cement floor with such a force that Daryl was surprised it didn't break. He felt like stabbing himself, or anything really. He sent a wild glare to the small closet that the walker he'd shot lay in front of. The door hit it's frame again, the sound enough to get Daryl to his feet. He hated whatever was behind that door, whatever had the nerve to annoy him right now. He stormed angrily to the door, throwing the walker out of the way. He gripped Carol's knife tightly in one hand, her bracelet in the other as he swung the door open.


	45. Reunited

Suddenly Daryl couldn't breathe. Everything went in slow motion, the door flew open and his eyes drifted to her face. Her features were relaxed and her eyes were closed. Daryl's heart stopped. She was gone, he was too late. Five minutes sooner, maybe he could've saved her. His heart broke as he knelt to the ground next to her, reaching out just as her eyelids fluttered open. He froze, his eyes watching her hands, waiting for her to lunge at him. Only she didn't.

When he looked up, he was met with piercing blue eyes, sparkling with fresh tears. He moved his hand to turn her face to look at him directly. Her mouth twitched in an attempt at a smile, her dry lips splitting open. He quickly pulled her to him, scooping her into his arms and holding her so tight he thought he'd crush her.

"I gotcha." He whispered hoarsely. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him with any strength she had left. She let out a strangled noise, an attempt to say what sounded like his name. He shushed her. "You're okay. I gotcha."

~X~

Carol forced her eyelids to remain open. Daryl's command to remain conscious was the only reason she hadn't slipped away again. Then suddenly she was laying down, a bed she guessed. It was soft and melted to her as her eyelids sealed themselves shut. She felt Daryl pull away from her and she frantically clawed the air, searching for him again. She heard him say something about water before she lost consciousness.

"Thought I told you to stay awake." His growl awakened her again as she cracked her eyes open. Then suddenly a water bottle was pressed to her lips. The cool liquid a relief to her cracked lips and raw throat. She gulped the water greedily, frowning as it was pulled away.

"More." She croaked. She felt a hand squeeze her own.

"You have to slow down a bit." Daryl 's voice replied. "You'll make yourself sick."

~X~

He felt better about her sleeping after she'd drank about half the bottle of water. Carol had drifted off to sleep again, her body exhausted. He'd checked her for injuries, but couldn't see any, which he was grateful for. Daryl held her hand in his own, his thumb brushing over her knuckles repeatedly, expecting her to slip away from him.

It'd been a miracle that he'd found her, and alive too. There wasn't a thing more that he could ask for. Carol was right there, in front of him, living and breathing. How could he have given up on her like he did? He didn't expect her to be alive and he should've. He'd trained her well enough, she was smart. She was one of the strongest people he knew.

"That was one hell of scare you gave me, woman." He grumbled. Her eyes were closed, and he knew she was asleep, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this was all a dream. Like he'd wake up at any second to the realization that he'd never found her at all. He shook that thought away quickly. The world was cruel, it always had been. But surely it wouldn't be cruel enough to give him something to love and steal it away like it meant nothing.

Daryl froze.

Love? Surely he hadn't meant to think of that word. Something to care about. There, that was a much better phrase. He preferred that. Carol stirred, her hand tightening the grip on his own and he looked at her. Her eyes opened and they searched the room a moment before settling on him.

"Bout time you woke up." Daryl grumbled. Outside he sounded normal, but inside he was nearly jumping with excitement.

"Figured I can't sleep all day." Carol replied with a smirk. "Shit has to get done and I don't see you volunteering to cook dinner." Daryl chuckled lightly before offering her the bottle of water once more. She drank the last of the water up before sitting up on her bunk.

"Slow down." Daryl commanded, his arms reaching out to catch her as she wavered.

"M'fine." She mumbled, her hand on her head. "A bit dizzy, that's all." She looked sideways at him and smiled softly. "Did I scare you?" Daryl scoffed.

"I wasn't scared." He replied. It wasn't a lie. He wasn't scared for her. He was terrified. Terrified that she wasn't gonna make it out alive, terrified that he'd never find her, and terrified that he'd have to try and live without her.

"Just admit you missed me, Dixon." She said, offering him a genuine smile. "I missed you." He felt his cheeks heat up slightly as he stood up.

"I'm gonna go get Rick." He said, turning to the door.

"Daryl, wait." He paused and glanced over his shoulder at her. He was surprised to see her smile had faded and was replaced with a look of sadness.

"What?" He asked, turning back to her.

"How many did we lose?" She asked. "I need to know before I face them." Daryl felt his good mood die in a matter of seconds. She wasn't stupid, she wasn't going to be fool enough to believe that they'd all made him.

"Two." He replied, no emotion in his voice. She took a deep breath and nodded. Then she gave him as small smile and he left to get Rick as he heard the others enter the prison.

~X~

Carol sat in thought for a moment after Daryl had left. They'd lost only two? She expected the death toll to be higher, but she was grateful it wasn't. Who had they lost though? She knew about T-Dog. He'd risked his life to save her, and she'd be eternally grateful to him for it. Who else? Obviously not Daryl or Rick. She prayed it wasn't Beth or Carl. They were so young. And Hershel was with Beth so certainly he was alright if she was. Carl had been with Lori and Maggie, right? They should've been fine. Maybe it was Glenn? Carol hated the thought of losing Glenn. It hurt her like losing T-Dog had. She hadn't had many conversations with the Korean kid, but she loved him like a brother.

Daryl returned to the entrance of her cell, standing off to the side as Rick joined him. Rick stared, open mouthed at her, the shock evident on his face. Carol offered him a smile as she stood from her place on the bed. He smiled and stumbled towards her, pulling her into a hug. She smiled and glanced at Daryl, who couldn't help the smile forming on his face also. Suddenly Hershel was there, supported by his crutches. He was next to pull her into a hug. She let out a sigh of relief as Carl and Beth joined them. And in Beth's arms, the most beautiful baby Carol had seen since Sophia.

"Poor thing fought her way into a cell. Passed out, dehydrated." Daryl informed them. His eyes watched her proudly as he told them, obviously impressed by her survival. Carol gave him a small smile and made her way to Beth and the baby. She was so beautiful. She had Lori's eyes, Carol could tell already. Lori, where was she? Carol turned to Rick as Daryl's words set in.

They'd lost two.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, placing her hands on either side of Rick's face. He looked away from her, as tears began to form. He gave her an appreciative nod and gently pushed her back to Beth. Carol cast a quick look at Carl, who looked at the floor. She would talk to him later, when she had time to wrap her mind around what she'd missed. She reached out, taking the baby from Beth and holding it close to her. She stroked the child's cheek gently and smiled to her.

"Daryl calls her Lil' Asskicker." Beth said with a giggle. Carol's smile broadened as she looked at Daryl, who rolled his eyes and looked at the ground.

"Come on." Daryl said to Rick. "Gotta talk to her." He nodded to the other room. Carol followed his gaze to a woman, with dark skin and dreadlocks standing behind the prison bars. Her leg was bleeding and she looked confused by the scene unfolding in front of her.

"Yeah, alright." Rick nodded. "Hershel, Daryl with me." Hershel and Daryl followed, but not before Daryl put a hand on Carol's arm and she looked up at him.

"I'll be right back." He said. He didn't wait for a reply, just simply followed the others. Carol watched them go until they shut the door behind them.

"You should sit down." Beth said softly. Carol nodded and sat at one of the tables in the room, refusing to let Beth take the baby back when she offered. Carl and Beth sat on either side of her.

"Who is she?" Carol asked, nodding towards the room Rick, Daryl and Hershel disappeared to.

"No idea." Carl replied. "Showed up here with baby formula." Carol's eyebrows pulled together in concern, but she didn't comment.

"Where's Glenn and Maggie?" She asked, turning to Beth.

"Went on a run this morning." Beth replied. "Ain't back yet." Carol nodded and looked back to the baby in her arms who'd drifted to sleep. Everything seemed to be going right, but Carol doubted it would last.


	46. Promise

"Then it's settled." Daryl said, looking at the circle of faces around him. "Rick, Oscar, and I will take her and go."

"I wanna help." Beth added. He rolled his eyes, of course she'd wanna go. Maggie and Glenn were taken by some psychopath, she'd wanna do her part.

"No." Rick argued with a shake of his head. He lowered his voice before speaking again. "Your father needs ya here. Both his daughters can't be out there right now."

"Plus I may need your help with the baby." Carol added. Beth looked at her feet. Daryl gave Carol a quick nod of appreciation. Obviously Carol could've handed Ass-Kicker alone, but she'd ask Beth to keep the girl at the prison.

"Me, Daryl, Oscar and the girl." Rick repeated. "Be ready in fifteen minutes." With that the group broke, all of them splitting in separate directions. Daryl headed to his perch with Carol on his heels. He didn't turn to look at her as he grabbed his bag and began stuffing supplies into it.

"Be careful." Her voice said softly behind him. He turned to look at her then. She wasn't looking at him, but at the baby in her arms, sleeping softly.

"Always careful." He grumbled in reply.

"This is different." She replied. He shook his head and began packing again.

"No it ain't." He said gruffly.

"It is." She said, her voice stern. "It's different cause you aren't gonna be fightin walkers. They're handled easily. But guys with guns... This is worse." He turned back to her as she turned to walk away. He quickly reached out and caught her arm. He pulled her into his arms, mindful of the baby between them.

"I'll be careful." He said softly. "I promise. I'll come back."

"No." She replied. She pulled back slightly and looked up at him. "Don't make promises that you can't keep."

"Carol-" He was cut off when we stood up on tip toes and pressed her lips lightly against his. He froze for a moment, savoring her kiss. Before he could respond she'd pulled away and closed her eyes as if she was holding back tears.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." She repeated before turning and walking back down the stairs. Daryl stood, dumbfounded for a moment. He watched her walk down the stairs and over to Beth and the two exited the prison together.

"Damn, woman." He grumbled. "I'll be back." He couldn't help but smile as he turned back to his packing.

~X~

Daryl and Oscar loaded all the supplies into the back of the car they'd be taking. They'd gotten quite a bit of supplies, more than Daryl expected they'd need but he didn't say much about it. He turned as Oscar walked away and Carl came forward with another bag, obviously too heavy for him. Daryl grabbed the handle of the bag and helped him hoist it into the trunk.

"Hey." Daryl said, turning to Carl. "Don't worry 'bout your old man, I'll keep an eye on him." He said. Carl nodded, obviously feeling more comfortable with his dad leaving now. Daryl gave a nod in reply and turned to walk away.

"Daryl." Carl said, and he turned back. "I'll keep an eye on things here too." His eyes flashed to Carol, standing with Ass-Kicker by the fence. "Her too." Daryl couldn't trust his mouth to say the right thing, so he gave Carl a stiff nod and walked on. He grabbed the last of the supplies from the prison as Beth went to open the gates and Rick pulled Carl aside to talk. Daryl stopped next to Carol, looking at her. She glanced up at him, her face strong, but her eyes telling him to be careful.

"Stay safe." He grumbled, unable to look her in the eye so he looked at Ass-Kicker instead.

"Nine lives, remember?" She replied in that teasing voice of hers. He met her eyes briefly and she gave him a half smile, one that told him that she was strong and she'd be alright. He gave her one in return, before turning and walking away.

There was so much more he wanted to say to her. So many things that clouded his brain but wouldn't flood off his tongue. Daryl was very cautious about the risks of the world every time he stepped outside, and this was no different. Aside from the fact that these were humans, who could use guns and murder everyone of them from a good distance away. Daryl was well aware that he may not return to the prison or to Carol, but he couldn't think that way. He'd promised her he'd come back and he meant it.

~X~

Carol stood back and watched them as they prepared to leave. The woman, whose name they learned was Michonne, climbed into the back next to Oscar. Carol watched Daryl as he walked towards the passenger door, not trusting herself to walk to the car with him for fear she'd try to pull him back with her. She didn't want him to go, she was afraid of him going. She'd just gotten back to him, and now he was leaving. Not that she could blame him, she would've went herself if no one else had volunteered.

"Bring 'em back." Hershel said to Rick.

_Bring him back, too. _Carol thought to herself as she watched Rick climb behind the wheel. As the car pulled away she stepped forward, Carl next to her. She had to all but restrain her feet from sprinting after them as they exited the prison yard. She chewed on her lip and glanced at the anxious faces around her. They all had the same thing on the line as her, the same fear of loss present in all of their minds. She took a deep breath and looked at them.

"Let's get something to eat." She said, forcing a smile.

**_A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I'm failing so much at posting! I'll try to get better! Review please! Love. ~Helen_**


	47. Another Rescue

This town was bat shit crazy. Daryl knew just from Michonne's explanation. People having barbeques like the world was happy and normal? That's nuts. Kids going to school, learning about history and math, not even knowing that people are dying everyday just outside the walls? Daryl understood why Michonne left, hell, he would've too. The craziest part was this governor guy. Michonne didn't know a lot about him, but she knew he wasn't trustworthy.

Daryl had to admit, he liked Michonne. And that wasn't easy coming from him. He trusted her judgment, she was honest and wasn't afraid. She knew when to keep her mouth closed though and Daryl respected that. She was tough, wasn't gonna whine about her sore leg, even though it had to be killing her. He trusted her too. Not like he trusted her to have his back in a swarm of walkers, she was smart enough to get the hell out. He trusted her opinion, and trusted that she'd be the first to take him down if he ever got bit.

~X~

They'd just got done eating and Hershel volunteered to help Carol clean up. She washed the dishes in the water bucket while Hershel dried them and stacked them neatly on the counter. They worked silently, not saying much until Hershel finally spoke.

"Do you think they'll find her?" Carol looked at him, and what she saw was someone much like she'd been at the farm. A parent with a lost child. Afraid, with no one to cling to, no one who understood, but she did. She'd went through this before.

"Michonne knows where the town is. She's got Rick and Daryl for back up." Carol said calmly. "If anyone can bring Maggie and Glenn home, it's those two."

"What if they're too late?" Hershel asked, his voice cracking. Carol knew he was breaking, he didn't know how to cope with this.

"They'll bring them back, Hershel." She said. "I have faith in that more than anything." It wasn't all together a lie. If Rick and Daryl were indeed too late, Carol had confidence they'd at least bring the bodies back.

"Is this how you felt?" Hershel asked quietly, sitting down. "When you lost Sophia?" Carol didn't reply for a minute, only stared at him blankly. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah it is. But Maggie has a better chance than Sophia ever did. Maggie isn't lost, in the woods with walkers. She's in a little town with other people. With Glenn. She's smart and she knows how to survive. And Daryl knows exactly where she is, he won't have to search for days. Maggie will be okay."

~X~

They could hear the yelling outside the building. They rushed inside, Rick in the lead. They got down the stairs and could hear voices. One of them sounded horribly familiar. Daryl felt his chest tighten, and he wanted to look to prove the lie. As soon as the smoke clouded though, Daryl's chances of seeing who he'd heard were slim.

They'd made it outside, Michonne had disappeared. Everything was happening so fast. They rushed into another building. Rick and Maggie tended to Glenn and it was the first Daryl had looked at the poor kid. His face was beat to hell, bloody and swollen. Maggie looked pretty unharmed, but Daryl noticed she was wearing Glenn's shirt.

"Daryl, this was Merle." Daryl looked at Glenn. Had he actually heard Merle's voice? He wasn't imagining it?

"You saw him?"

"Face to face. He threw a walker at me. He was gonna execute us." Glenn said. Daryl knew the kid wouldn't lie.

"So, my brother is this governor?" Daryl asked. He knew that Merle couldn't have been. Merle wouldn't run a town like this, wouldn't care for people. Merle only looked out for Merle.

"No. He's somebody else. Your brother's his lieutenant or something." Maggie explained.

"He know I'm still with you?" No way, if he did, Merle wouldn't have stayed with the governor. Not if he knew Daryl was alive.

"He does now." Glenn said. "We told him where the prison was." Daryl zoned out for a minute.

Merle was working for this governor. Merle never took orders from anybody his entire life. This governor liked to hurt people, which would explain Merle's involvement, but Merle had stayed. Even when he knew where Daryl was, where the prison was, he stayed with the governor…

"Hey! If Merle's around I need to see him!" Daryl yelled at them as they all got up to leave.

"Not now!" Rick argued. "We're in hostile territory."

"He's my brother, I ain't-"

"Look what he did!" Rick hissed. "We gotta get outta here now!" No matter what Daryl said, Rick argued. Rick had always argued. He used Glenn and Maggie, saying they came first. They always came first, didn't they? This was Daryl's brother, but that didn't matter, did it? It never had. This was just like when Daryl wanted to look for Carol, and Rick and Glenn told him no. Carol coulda died because of them.

"I'll lay down some cover fire!" Daryl yelled. He couldn't even remember them going outside. Suddenly they were being shot at from all directions. "I'll be right behind ya."

~X~

After talking to Hershel for a bit longer, she sent him off to bed to rest. He was worrying himself to exhaustion. Carol made her way to her cell, know that's where Beth would be with Judith. Judith is what Carl decided to name Asskicker officially. Judith Grimes.

As Carol got closer to her cell, she could hear Axel's voice. What the hell was he doing there? As she rounded the corner, she saw Beth sitting on the bed, cradling Judith in her arms. Axel sat next to her, watching her intently, with Carl leaning against the opposite wall, sending such murderous glares at Axel that it would've made a Dixon proud.

"How old are you anyway?" Axel asked.

"Seventeen." Beth replied.

"Seventeen. Interesting." Carol narrowed her eyes and he scooted a bit closer to Beth.

"May I speak with you?" Carol asked, all eyes in the room flew to her at the doorway. Beth sent her a smile, completely oblivious to Axel's eyes on her. Carl looked sort of relieved and Axel looked confused.

"Me?" He asked, looking surprised. Carol nodded and moved away from the door as he stood to follow. He walked out of the cell, that silly little smile playing on his face. "What's the problem?"

"Stay away from her." Carol said. She wasn't going to let him think that this was a casual talk. She jumped right to the point. Axel glance back at the cell, then to her.

"Please."

"This isn't about you trying to repopulate the Earth." She snapped at him.

"I didn't mean no offense." Axel said quickly. "I've been locked up a long while, and there weren't many women. You following me?" Carol raised her eyebrows at him and gave him an annoyed look. "I mean, Maggie, she's with Glenn. And you're a lesbian, and I was just talking with her…"

It took everything Carol had not to burst out laughing.

"I'm not a lesbian…" Carol said, unable to control the laughter in her voice.

"You got the short hair…" Axel said, indicating the length of her hair. Carol gave him an exasperated look. "You're not a lesbian?" He asked, surprised. Carol only stared at him. "My, my, my, this is interesting." He leaned over and placed his hand on the railing of the stares. She shook her head.

"No, it's not."

_**A/N: Okay, not gonna lie one of my favorite Walking Dead scenes is the one with Axel and Carol. He's so clueless it's funny. Alright, here's a chapter. I love you guys! Review! Love. ~Helen**_


	48. She'll Understand

_**A/N: Alright, so here's my mini apology to you all for taking a million years for updates. So here's a second chapter today, I hope you like it. Please review! Love! ~Helen**_

"You wanted your brother? Now you got him."

Daryl looked frantically around the arena. What the hell was this? This was sick. His eyes darted from the governor, to Merle, to the crowd of people cheering for his death, to the woman next to the governor. Andrea. She was suppose to be dead.

"I'm gonna do, what I gotta do!" Suddenly Merle punched Daryl in the face.

~X~

Carol sat on the edge of her bunk, feet flat on the floor, staring at the opposite wall. Moonlight shined dimly from the windows of the main room into the corners of her cell. She could hear Beth's light humming from below as she rocked baby Judith to sleep. The sound of crutches to concrete let her know of Hershel's alertness about the prison. What she hadn't heard were the light footsteps making their way to her cell. She looked up just as Axel entered the doorway.

"Mind if I come in?" He asked, the goofy smile creeping onto his face. Carol shrugged and looked down at her feet. He obviously took this as an invitation and entered her cell, placing himself next to her on the bed. She didn't have to look at him to know he was sitting as close to her as possible without touching.

"So you're not a lesbian, huh?" Axel asked with a chuckle, then continued speaking before she could reply. "I guess I just assumed with the hair, pretty stupid of me, huh?" He chuckled again. "You know, Carol, I like you. You're not as cold as the others." She glanced over at him.

"Why are you here, Axel?" She asked tiredly. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Can't sleep." Axel replied, the cheesy smile never leaving his face.

"Me neither." Carol sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Worried?" Axel asked. Carol nodded. "Yeah, me too." When Carol looked up at him this time, she saw sadness etched on his face. Of course he'd be worried. He had a friend out there too.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Carol mumbled.

"If you thought they'd be fine, you woulda been sound asleep right about now." Axel said. Carol sighed and looked to the floor again.

"I have a terrible feeling." She confessed. "One I can feel deep in my gut. They're in trouble, Axel, something has gone horribly wrong. I just know it."

"You're just getting yourself worked up for nothin'. This ain't an average run or hunt for him." Axel said. Carol didn't bother to deny his theory that it was Daryl she worried for. She let out a choked sob that wasn't aware she'd been holding back.

"What am I gonna do if he doesn't come back?" She wanted to cry but couldn't muster tears from her eyes.

"Come here," She felt Axel's hand on her arm as he guided her closer, holding her against his side comfortingly. "I had a brother named Vince." Axel said after a minute. "Don't know where he is, haven't seen him since the world went to shit. He's the only family I got. Hell he coulda been dead long time ago. See, now you got an advantage with that man of yours."

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Yeah." Axel continued. "Cause, see, that Daryl is tough as shit. Ain't nobody gonna mess with him and live to tell the tale. Plus, he knows you're here safe and waitin for him. Ain't nothing stopping him from getting back to you. And lastly, he got people lookin out for him."

Carol couldn't deny that everything Axel had said was true. Daryl would fight through herds of walkers to get back to her, he was crazy like that.

"He promised." Carol said softly. "He promised he'd come back."

"Then he will."

~X~

"CAROL!"

"Beth?" Carol rushed out the guard tower, Axel not far behind. Beth was running across the yard frantically.

"Are you okay?" Beth called up. Carol looked at Axel, confused.

"We're fine, darlin." Axel called back, but shut up when Carol shot him a ferocious glare.

"We heard a scream." Beth finally stopped running as she reached the bottom of the tower.

"From where?"

"Inside. We thought maybe you and Axel came back in. Carl went down to look."

"Fuck!" Carol yelled, taking off to the prison.

~X~

Rick, Daryl, Maggie and Merle were tired from running, but kept moving anyway. At least the heavy breaths were the only thing that could be heard from Merle, which they all took as a blessing. Michonne had taken Glenn and drove about halfway back to the prison, putting plenty of distance between them and Woodbury. Oscar was hit when they tried to escape. It was Rick and Maggie who'd returned for Daryl, also accumulating Merle. They'd hiked the long distance to the car, only to be greeted by quite the angry group members.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Not like any of them had expected a welcome back party for Merle, Daryl just hoped they'd understand. They would right? They were the ones so hell bent on believing that the group was a family. And Merle was blood. if he could just get back to the prison, Carol could talk some sense into them. She'd understand. Merle was blood.

"My blood, my family, is right here! And waiting for us back at the prison."

"And you're a part of it!" This was not going as well as Daryl had hoped. They wanted Daryl but not Merle. Didn't they understand that the Dixons were a packaged deal? Besides, even if he'd wanted to, he couldn't just leave Merle. Not again. The poor bastard wouldn't survive on his own for long.

"Don't ask me to leave him." Daryl was practically begging. How could they make him choose? Everything he ever did for them, and they wouldn't let him have Merle? From when he was kidnapped in Atlanta all the way to being held at Woodbury, Daryl had been saving that little Asian's ass. And Rick? Who kept his family alive and fed? Who taught his son how to track, and hunt, and even drive?

"What about Carol?" Fuck. That was the dirtiest trick in the book. Playing one thing he loved against another. The people he loved. Carol and Merle, the only two people he'd ever loved. Merle took care of him, was his brother, his blood. And Carol? Carol understood him, better than himself. With a quick glance at Merle, who was getting up off the ground from where Rick knocked him unconscious, Daryl remembered his earlier thought.

"_She'll understand_."

_**A/N: So, I hope the Daryl scenes are alright with you guys. I didn't put too much description in them because I feel like Daryl's head is spinning in so many directions, nothing seems clear to him. I hope that makes sense. Love. ~Helen**_


	49. He's Gone

_**A/N: Hey guys! So guess what, I'm in New York City! That's probably not a huge deal to any of you but it is to me, so I thought i would share. I had this chapter prewritten so it could be published for you, but I won't have another ready until Saturday at the latest. So enjoy and review! Love! ~Helen**_

"Are you feeling any better?" Beth asked in her sweet voice. Carol nodded. The whole morning had been crazy. First, she woke up with that horrible feeling in her stomach, and Axel was there for her. By then they were all awake anyway, and Carol and Axel headed for morning watch. About an hour later is when Beth came sprinting out like a mad woman, talking about someone screaming. Then suddenly five new people were there in the prison. Tyreese and his sister Sasha. Allen and his wife Donna and their son, Ben. Donna was bit, and Tyreese took care of her, the way they should've.

Carol had to lie down for awhile after that. The sickening, worried feeling in the pit of her stomach had went away by then, but when Beth woke her up this time, it'd come back. She didn't know where this feeling came from, but it made her want to vomit. She'd told herself that if Daryl and the others hadn't returned by night she'd go after them. Axel told her how stupid that was because she didn't even know where Woodbury is. She really didn't care, she had to go.

"Carl wants to talk to you." Beth said. "If you're feeling up to it." Carol nodded and stood up from her bunk. "He's outside."

Carol made her way out to the yard. It was a sunny day out, which was a welcomed sight compared to how she was feeling. Carl wandered aimlessly near the watch tower, staring at his feet. Carol made her way over to him.

"Hey." She said softly. He looked up at her and stopped walking.

"Hey." He replied. When she reached him he leaned against the guard tower, hands in his pockets. "So I was thinking, if they aren't back in a few days, we should head to town for formula."

"You and me?"

"Yeah. I can do it. I ain't-"

"I didn't say that, Carl." Carol said. "I'll go with you, but I don't wanna leave Axel here with Beth. We might have to bring him along." Carl nodded and looked at his feet again. Carol wasn't gonna bullshit him. He was right in thinking ahead, he was like his dad that way.

"I hope my dad is alright." Carl said after a minute.

"I'm sure he is, Carl. He's smart, your dad. People don't keep saying that to bullshit you and make you feel better. It's true. He's gotten us all through a hell of a lot of shit." Carl looked up at her and nodded.

"I know." With that he pushed off the wall and the two began to walk within the shade of the guard tower.

"What are they doing?" Carol asked, motioning up the hill where Tyreese and his group stood.

"Burying the lady." Carl replied. "Donna. But it looks like they're arguing."

"Ain't none of our business." Carol said, looking up to the sky. "It's so nice out."

"It's so quiet." Carl added. Carol laughed lightly.

"It's easy to forget how loud the world used to be." Carol said. "I used to complain about it all the time. Traffic, construction, car alarms, noise pollution." She laughed and shook her head. "What I wouldn't give for the sweet sound of a jumbo jet." Carl smiled.

"Be even sweeter, if we were all on it." He added. She nodded in agreement.

"You're mom was proud of you." She said. She wasn't even sure why she said it. Maybe it was because she stood there, with this boy, no older than her Sophia would've been and she felt like she was talking to a man. Carl was too young to act so old, but there he stood, the spitting image of his father, brave as she'd ever seen him.

"For what?" Carl asked, not looking at her. "Being mean to her?"

"You can't think about that." Carol said.

"It's all I think about." He admitted. She knew how hard it was for him to lose his mother. Beth told her that he'd shot her before she turned. He never should've had to. Carol was going to say more when they heard a car coming up the road.

"Please be them." Carl whispered. Carol thought the same thing.

"It's them. Hurry." Carl opened the first gate while Carol opened the second. Walkers swarmed almost instantly to the approaching car and Carol was quick to close the outside gate. Rick was out of the car as soon as it was in the safety of the gates. Carol turned to see him hug Carl tightly and the scene made her smile. Maggie walked around the driver's side door and got in.

The smile faded on Carol's face when she peered into the windows. Maggie, Glenn and Michonne. Maggie pulled the car away, none of them even so much as gave her a second look as she felt the tears begin to well in her eyes.

She should've never let Daryl go. She should've made him stay, she should've begged. Anything would've been better than this, because she could feel her heart breaking as she watched the car pull away from her. Her breathing was shallow and her body felt heavy as she turned to Rick.

"Where's Daryl?" She already knew. Why did she ask? She asked because she had to know how. Did a walker get him on the way back? Was he shot in that town? For all she knew he tripped and hit his head on a rock.

"It's alright." Rick was in front of her in a second, his hand on her shoulder, staring intently at her. "He's alive." A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she turned to look back at the road, expecting him to come strutting up like nothing ever happened. Maybe he'd see the worry in her face and give her hell for it as long as she lived, but she didn't care. She had to see him. Then Rick said something else.

"We ran into his brother. They went off." Merle? They'd found Merle? She felt a spark of happiness for a second. Happiness for him that he found what he was looking for. Then it hit her hard.

"He left?" Rick only nodded. She could see it pained him to tell her this, but she couldn't comfort him. She couldn't tell him it wasn't his fault because she was too busy trying to hold herself together.

"Daryl left?" She repeated. She couldn't believe it. "H-he's gone?" Her mind was begging him to tell her it wasn't true. Just like that winter when Daryl spent the night at that house and Rick came back without him. It couldn't be true. "He's gone? Is he coming back?" Rick only stared at her. She pulled her arm out his grasp and walked around him. She bit back every tear that threatened to spill, every scream that threatened to cry.

"He's gone!" She didn't even know if it was a question or not anymore. Suddenly Rick's arm was around her shoulders as he led her and Carl to the prison. He stopped while Carl closed the last gate and pulled her into his chest, where she let the majority of her tears spill silently.


	50. Moving On

_**A/N: I'm back! Again! I keep taking these breaks! I honestly didn't mean to this time, my computer spazzed and totally crashed. Sorry, guys. Hopefully it won't happen again. Here's the next chapter. Love.**_

When they reached the others, Rick received a hug and even a light kiss on the cheek from Beth, who then led Maggie inside. Glenn had already been escorted in along with Michonne and only Rick, Hershel, Carol and Carl stood in the yard. Carl stared after Beth, while Carol looked at Hershel. She could see all the tension that was so pronounced earlier had long since faded. His eyes showed relief and gratitude towards Rick that she could even wrap her mind around. Rick motioned for Carl and Carol to follow the others inside, which they obeyed. As they walked in, Carol heard what Hershel said to Rick.

"You came through, like always." Carol had to disagree. She lingered in the doorway and listened to Rick as he spoke.

"He had Daryl and Merle pitted against each other. Crowd, cheering for them to fight to the death." Carol rushed into the prison, past Carl and Tyreese and into the main room. She couldn't listen to what Rick had to say. She pushed past Beth who was holding Judith and bolted up the stairs to her own cell, running directly into Axel.

"I was lookin for you." He said quietly. She didn't reply, just threw her arms around his waist and cried into his shirt. He stayed quiet, rubbing her back comfortingly. She cried for herself, and for Daryl. How could he leave her so easily, like it was effortless? Had it even been hard for him? What was she going to do now? Without him? She'd just kept believing he'd come back. She knew he'd live through Woodbury, she just never expected him to turn his back and walk away.

"I'm sorry." She finally said with a sniffle. She pulled away and looked up at Axel, who'd remained remarkable quiet. "Oscar..."

"Is in a better place now." Axel completed with a small smile. She bit her lip again and rested her head on his chest. He gave her a tight squeeze and pulled away. He offered her a smile, before giving her a light push out the door back to the group.

~X~

"Lucky I taught you how to take a punch, baby brother." Merle said. They were walking further and further from the road and with each step Daryl questioned his decision.

"What the hell was that about anyway?" Daryl asked. "Attackin me like that."

"Just a little pay back for leavin me on that rooftop." Merle replied without looking at him.

"Man, I didn't leave your ass." Daryl said. "Besides we went back. Seems you're better off now anyway." Daryl said, tapping Merle's metal stump with the tip of his crossbow. Merle smirked.

"Just a little improvement to my already gentle personality."

~X~

Carol stood at the top of the stairs, folding blankets for the makeshift bed she'd created for Asskicker. She felt better after talking to Axel and she now busied herself with a crib for Judith. Beth came up the stairs then, cradling the baby in her arms.

"You've got a knack for that." Carol commented upon seeing the sound asleep child. "Sophia used to wake the neighbors. 3 am, like clockwork." Carol paused, remembering the past. It seemed like a lifetime ago. "Ed stayed at a friend's most nights till she calmed down."

"I always wanted a child." Beth said with a sweet smile. "She wouldn't have made it if Daryl wouldn't have been here." Carol paused what she was doing. "He couldn't stand to lose anyone else."

"Sounds like him." Carol replied. Everything that'd she been trying to block out since her earlier breakdown returned. Every thought and worry about Daryl. Scared to death of him out there alone. Even if Merle was there, he was still alone.

"I don't see why he had to leave." Beth said. Carol could hear it in the girl's voice that she was upset. Carol understood though, she knew Daryl wouldn't have left if he'd had another option. "Merle sounds like a jerk." Carol almost laughed. Almost.

"Men like Merle get into your head." Carol said without really thinking about it, just trying to talk about something else. Anything else. "Make you feel like you deserve the abuse."

"Even for Daryl?"

"I'm hardly the woman I was a year ago, but if Ed walked through that door right now, breathing, and told me to go with him, I'd like to think I'd tell him to go to hell."

"You would." Beth said. She honestly believed it too, Carol could tell. Carol wasn't so sure. She didn't know where she belonged anymore, and maybe Ed would be better than nothing.

"It doesn't matter." Carol replied.

"We're weak without him." Beth said. Carol looked at her, eyes pleading for Beth to let it go. He's gone.

"We'll get through this too. Tyreese and his friends seem capable."

"I'm pissed at him for leaving."

"Don't be." Carol almost snapped. Of course they'd all be mad at him, everyone but her. She was the only one who understood. "Daryl has his code. This world needs men like that." She had to look at Judith to keep herself from crying. She reached out and took the baby from Beth, placing her gently in the crib she'd created.

"She fits perfect." Beth commented. Carol smiled at the baby, because she was the only thing Carol thought she had to live for anymore.

_**A/N: By the way this is chapter 50! I wanted chapter 50 to be action packed and really emotional, but obviously that didn't work out too well. Sorry guys. So, I was thinking about this the other day and realized how far I've gotten with this story. And I'm unsure where to go with this. Should I go to the end of season 3 and leave it? End it? Or continue into season 4? I don't know where the cut off is. I probably could continue forever, but that'd get boring. So what's your guys' opinions? I'd love to hear. Read, whatever. Let me know. Love.**_


	51. Where We All Belong

Carol walked to Axel, who was staring out the window. It took awhile for Oscar's death to sink in. Once Axel saw the entire group together with him alone on the outside, the grief set in. Carol put her hand on his arm comfortingly. He gave her a grateful look.

"Whenever Tomas went off, Oscar always stood up for me, ya know?" Axel asked. Carol nodded in understanding. "He was my friend."

"He went out fighting." Rick said, coming to them. Carol looked at him angrily. He may have died honorably, but he'd still died. Carol blinked a few times to clear her mind of the angry thoughts. Rick shouldn't be the target for her anger, when he'd done all he could.

"So, what now?" Beth asked, coming down the stairs. "Do you think the governor will retaliate?" Everyone agreed that he would.

"Sounds like he's got a whole town." Carol added. "We're outnumbered and out gunned." This was good. She could focus on something else for awhile.

"We could use some reinforcements." Hershel said. Rick looked around the room at them all.

"You think we can trust them?" Rick asked.

"They're honest people." Hershel said.

"They're strangers." Maggie said.

"You don't know them." Beth argued. "You haven't been here. They're willing to contribute." All eyes fell on Beth.

"Everyone else agree?" Rick asked. He was met with nods and yeses and he sighed. "Alright. Let's go talk."

~X~

"There ain't nothing out here but mosquitoes and ants." Daryl commented.

"Patience, little brother." Merle said. "Sooner or later a squirrel is bound to scurry across your path."

"Better off going through one of those houses we passed back on the turnoff."

"Is that what your new friends taught you?" Merle asked. Daryl groaned in irritation. Not this again. "How to loot for booty?"

"We've been out here for hours." Daryl said, changing the subject. "We should try and find a stream, look for some fish." He paused, remembering the last time he was at a stream fishing. When him and Carol were separated from the group, when she fell in the freezing water. That was the same night she'd seen his scars, the ones Merle hadn't even seen. That seemed like ages ago.

"I think you're just trying to lead me over to that road, get me back to that prison."

"They got shelter." Daryl commented. "Food." And Carol, but he left that part out. "Might not be a bad idea."

"For you, maybe. Ain't gonna be no goddamn party for me." Merle said. No shit. Daryl knew that already.

"Everyone will get used to each other." Daryl said. They got used to each other in Atlanta. They got used to Daryl over the winter. They'd get used to Merle too.

"They're all dead." Merle said. "Makes no difference." That hit Daryl hard. Sure the governor was pissed, but his group was smart as hell. They would be fine. They got through so much over the winter, Rick was a good leader.

"How can you be so sure?" Daryl asked.

"Right about now, he's probably hosting a house warming party. Where he's gonna bury what's left of your pals." Daryl swallowed hard. That wasn't true. If worse came to worse, they'd leave. They wouldn't be stupid, Rick would get them out, Judith, Carl and Carol. He'd keep them safe, right?

~X~

"Maggie?" It was late, why the hell was she even here? Everything that happened today, and here she was stirring up problems. Daryl was gone, Rick was delusional, Maggie and Glenn were hurt, her whole group was broken and here she was, middle of the night, bothering people. She crept around the corner of the cell where Maggie laid alone on th bottom bunk. The girl sat up quietly, turning to look at her.

"Carol?" Her voice was tired, she sounded exhausted and Carol felt horrible for bothering her.

"I'm sorry for waking you sweetheart."

"Is everything okay?" Maggie instantly sounded worried.

"Everything is fine." Carol said quickly. Maggie relaxed instantly and Carol paused awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"What's up?" Maggie was wide awake now. Carol cleared her throat.

"I was wondering if you could tell me something?" Carol asked nervously. Maggie stared at her waiting. "Could you tell me how it happened? Maggie stayed silent for a moment before registering what Carol was asking.

"Woodbury?" She asked. Carol nodded, looking at her feet.

"I'm sorry if I'm asking too much. I just have to know..." She paused and glanced at her friend. "I would ask Rick, but he isn't completely together. And Glenn, isn't in the right mind. And you're the only one who was there for it all."

"Me and Glenn were getting supplies for Judith when Merle found us." Maggie began.

~X~

"I got a question, baby brother." Merle said. They were sitting around the fire they'd built to cook the fish they caught. They were quiet, and it was peaceful. Until -as usual- Merle opened his mouth. "Why'd you hang around those pussies so damn long?"

"Didn't have nowhere else." Daryl replied simply.

"You coulda came lookin for me."

"We did." Daryl snapped. "We went back to that damn roof. All we found was your damn hand. If you woulda just waited-"

"Waited for what?" Merle interrupted. "Waited for them biters to get me?"

"We went back." Daryl said. His tone indicated end of conversation and Merle shut up. Only for about two minutes.

"Who the hell is Carol?" Daryl's head snapped up to look at his brother.

"What?"

"Quick reaction, little brother." Merle gave him a cocky, raised eyebrow look. "You a little sweet on her?"

"It ain't like that." Daryl said quickly.

"Lemme guess." Merle continued. "She's a blonde. Tall, real pretty?"

"She's the woman from Atlanta." Daryl said. Merle stared at him for a minute.

"Only blondes I remember from Atlanta are Andrea and Amy." Daryl scoffed.

"You would remember the blondes. She ain't a blonde."

"Brunette?" Merle seemed to wrack his brain a little harder. "Ain't Shane's lady is it? She seemed like quite a bitch."

"No!" Daryl made a disgusted face. "Lori was Rick's wife. She was just having a bit of fun with Shane." Why the hell was he telling Merle this?

"Wasn't that black chick was it?" Now it was Merle's turn to look disgusted.

"No!" Daryl rolled his eyes. "Carol is Sophia's mom. Was married to that bastard, Ed." The realization hit Merle's face pretty quickly.

"The one who's husband used to use her like a punching bag?" Merle asked. Daryl kept the anger off his face and nodded slowly. Merle let out a loud laugh. "That's who you chose to get it on with?"

"I already told you, it ain't like that." Daryl snapped angrily. Merle looked taken aback, but only for a second.

"You tellin me, over a year, and you ain't got lucky once?"

"I was survivin." Daryl growled. "I wasn't hiding in some little town, being protected by some lame ass, calls himself the governor." Merle looked angry then.

"Hey, you don't know shit, little brother." Merle was glaring across the fire now.

"I know that you were having the time of your life there." Daryl replied. "Even got yourself a shiny new piece to show off." He motioned to the stump on Merle's arm that once held a blade in it. "The hell else did that governor do in that sick ass little town anyway?" Merle inhaled deeply and leaned back against the tree behind him.

"Looks like you got your secrets, little brother, and I got mine."

~X~

Carol's mind was reeling over all that Maggie had told her. Daryl and Merle, fighting to the death? And Merle actually attacked his brother? And on top of that, he nearly beat Glenn to death? How could Daryl have left with him? Left the group that loved him, left her, who loved him, for his brother? He was blood, and Carol understood that. Blood is thicker than water, but sometimes water was the clearest choice.

_"He said you'd understand."_

It rang in Carol's ears like a gunshot. He thought she'd understand. She did, she understood better than anyone. She just couldn't believe it.

"We should hit him now." Carol drew her mind back to the present, where Glenn sat on the floor with a piece of chalk. They were making plans for something but the last Carol knew it was about a breach in the prison. Now he was planning a murder. "He won't be expecting it. Sneak back in, and put a bullet in his head."

"We're not assassins." Carol said, but she couldn't argue with Glenn's reasoning. The governor was the reason Daryl was gone, Maggie and Glenn were hurt and Oscar was dead. She felt Axel give her wrist a light squeeze and she realized her face must have portrayed all the confusion she was feeling inside. She shook herself out of her thoughts and focused on Glenn again.

"We can't stay here." Hershel said.

"We can't run." Glenn argued. Then Maggie stormed from the room, leaving all of them to stare after her. "Alright. We'll stay put. We'll defend this place. We're taking a stand." Carol wanted to cheer for Glenn. She didn't want to leave, she couldn't. This is where she belonged. She thought about the rest of the group, and Daryl and sighed.

"This is where we all belong."


	52. Returning

_**A/N: Hey guys, remember when I used to update this at least once a week? Yeah... I'm gonna try and do that. I hate these hiatuses. Here's a chapter tho. Please review. Love.**_

The group had been arguing more in the last two days than they had all winter. With Daryl gone and Rick not much help, it left Glenn as the temporary leader. And Maggie wasn't really mentally stable, and as wise as Hershel was, his guidance wasn't much help. Carol chose to remain quiet for the most part, only speaking when spoken to unless it was to the kids or Axel. The few times she spoke out, Glenn was quick to snap at her. She understood his stress, so she stayed quiet.

Glenn had sent Carol and Axel up to reinforce some parts of the prison. They carried wooden pallets and table tops up to the bridge between the two watch towers and rested them against the sides of the gates, sort of like a secondary wall.

"I don't understand how these are gonna help." Axel said as he carried more pallets out.

"So we'll reinforce this with some metal from the yard, and if anything happens, we just duck." Carol explained, making a ducking motion for a clearer example. Axel chuckled at her.

"I hope nothing happens." Axel confessed. "Gun scare the bejesus out of me." He gave her a smile and added to his confessions. "I robbed a gas station with a toy gun. Never even took it out of my pocket."

"You said Oscar was the thief." Carol replied. "That you were in here for pharmaceuticals."

"I didn't want ya'll to think I was a violent man." Axel said. Carol had to bite back the laugh. After being around Axel for about 3 minutes you could tell his bark was worse than his bite. Axel went on to explain how the cops who arrested him claimed his brother's .38 and it 'matched the description.'. Carol had to laugh at the story. Axel was one odd man.

"Tell ya the truth," Axel continued. "I don't even know how to use this damn thing." He held his handgun out in front of him like it was a foreign object he'd never seen before.

"You're all about the truth now?" Carol asked, teasing him slightly. "It's fully loaded." She showed him. "Let's hope it stays that way." She handed the gun back to him.

"You're quite a lady." Axel commented. Carol felt her cheeks heat slightly and she just smiled politely and got back to work.

~X~

"Get out of the car." Daryl didn't entirely recognize his own voice. His actions didn't match was him mind was screaming at him to do, but he didn't lower the crossbow from it's aim at his brother's back.

"I know you're not talking to me, brother." Merle replied from inside the car. His voice wavered, as if he were concerned or even worried. Daryl would never hurt Merle, he'd always protected his brother. It's what they did, looked out for one another. This, was a different story. When Daryl looked in that car he and saw that woman with the baby in her arms, he saw Carol and Asskicker. And the other two men reminded him of Rick and Glenn. The four people he trusted most in the prison and Merle was stealing from them.

No, Merle was stealing from a family Daryl didn't know. He didn't owe these people anything. He shouldn't have come and saved them, but they had a baby. A baby like Asskicker who was starting it's life in this cruel world.

"Get in your car and get the hell outta here." Daryl snapped at the man nearest to the vehicle. "Go!" Merle was standing in front of Daryl now, staring his cross bow down. Finally Daryl grabbed his things and moved on. Merle following slowly behind. Daryl trudged on alone for about ten minutes before Merle finally jogged to catch up. They were reentering the forest now, and Daryl was headed back the way they came.

"The shit you doin, pointing that thing at me?" Merle demanded as he fell in step with his brother.

"They were scared, man." Daryl replied.

"They were rude is what they were. Rude and they owed us a token of gratitude."

"They didn't owe us nothing." Daryl groaned.

"You helping people out, out of the goodness of your heart? Even though you might die doin it? Is that something your Sheriff Rick taught you?"

"There was a baby!" Daryl snapped.

"Otherwise you would've just left them to the biters then?" Merle asked. Daryl knew where he was going with this, the one thing he could never let go. The thought that his brother found a new family and didn't care about leaving him to walkers.

"Man, I went back for ya! You weren't there! I didn't cut off your hand neither, you did that! Way before they locked you up on that roof. You asked for it." Daryl took a deep breath and watched Merle pace around in front of him. He expected a punch any second, a cut with Merle's new knife toy. At the very least a gun aimed at his temple.

"You know what's funny to me?" Merle began. "You and Sheriff Rick, your like this now." He crossed his two fingers to symbolize Daryl and Rick's friendship. "Right? But I bet you a penny and a fiddle of gold you never told him that we were planning on robbing that camp blind."

"It didn't happen." Daryl growled.

"Course it didn't. Cause I wasn't there to help you." Merle replied. Daryl was getting angry now, but a different angry then ever before. An anger he couldn't get rid of by hitting a tree or a walker or even hitting Merle. It was an anger he felt he needed to scream into his brothers face.

"Who left when we were kids? Huh? Who left then?"

"What? Is that why I lost my hand?"

"No! You lost your hand cause you're a stupid piece of shit!" Daryl pushed past his brother to keep walking before he said something he didn't want to. He felt a tug on the back of his shirt and he lost his balance. As he fell to the ground he heard his shirt rip and felt a cool breeze on his back. Merle was quiet and still and Daryl knew what his brother was seeing for the first time.

~X~

"They're driving me crazy." Carol said with a sigh. She watched Glenn kick up dust with the truck as he drove away, and Hershel headed in the other direction towards Rick who wandered outside the fence.

"They need some time." Axel replied. "Everything needs time." Carol shook her head.

"I love them all, they're my family. But lately it feels like we're strangers." Carol confessed. "And with Daryl gone, I don't know what to do."

"Daryl with be back." Axel said. "I have a sixth sense about these things." Carol laughed. They looked over to Rick.

"I feel so bad for him."

"I've seen plenty of dudes crack in here. Not me though. Always got on better on the inside. Things made more sense, ya know? There were rules, life was more simple." Carol understood that to a point.

"Didn't you miss your brother?" She asked.

"My brother? Hell no. He had a real money problem."

"What problem?"

"He didn't lend me any!" Carol laughed and Axel tapped her elbow with his. "One time that son of a-" Red liquid splashed on Carol's face before she even heard the gun shot. Axel fell and Carol's first reaction was to grab him, catch him before he hit pavement. Suddenly the entire prison was on attack mode and Carol was trapped in the yard with Axel.

~X~

Daryl trudged through the overgrown weeds and untrimmed tree branches back to the prison. His mind was set on returning, so much that he almost didn't notice Merle catching up to him. Merle began to rant after a minute, saying anything and everything to get Daryl to change his mind and turn around. Daryl blocked him out for the most part. Eventually they passed a familiar body of water and Daryl knew he wasn't far.

As anxious as he was to return to the prison, he was more nervous. What would he say to them? Glenn wouldn't want Merle there, and another argument would erupt, a repeat of before. Who would side with him? Anyone? Maybe he could convince Hershel to reason with the others. Hershel was always the advisor to Rick and Glenn, the one whose opinion was valued highly.

What worried him most was the conversations he was going to have to have with Rick and Carol. Rick would understand why he left, and be grateful he returned. They understood each other in such a way that they'd barely even have to speak, just a few glances and a nod and all would be forgiven. Carol would be more difficult. She was his best friend, his most trusted companion, but he'd left her. He should've sent a message back with Glenn or Rick, but he didn't think of it. A loud noise interrupted Daryl's thoughts. A gunshot. Daryl's eyes shot to Merle.

"Don't look at me, brother." Merle said with wide eyes.

"Shit!" Daryl took off at a full sprint towards the prison. He vaguely registered Merle's footsteps behind him. He had only one mission, get to the prison. Save his family.


End file.
